The annual rivalry game between Garden Plain and Conway Springs was a huge win for the Owls with a final score of 33 – 14. As for Conway, their winning streak had finally come to an end. Heading into this game they were on a 25 game winning streak.
The Owls were quick to jump to the lead after the third snap of the game when senior quarterback Eli Eck broke free for a 68 yard rushing touchdown. Garden Plain then added to the lead when after forcing a three and out, they put together a long drive which was capped off by a short Emrick Hays touchdown.
Conway showed they were still in the game after a long rushing touchdown of their own. The Owls proved otherwise though, as they never let off the gas. The team tagged together two more rushing touchdowns before half. They went into halftime with a 25 – 8 lead.
Garden Plain knew they were going up against a great team and going into half time the coaches were pleased with the teams performance so far, but they knew they had much to improve on. Head Coach of the Owls, Todd Rice, spoke on this problem, “We’ve got some things to clean up especially when it comes to position details and executing on key downs. The false starts in critical situations are the kind of mistakes we can’t afford, and that’s something we’ll focus on improving,” Coach Rice said.
The Cardinals received the ball to start the second half, but they were forced to a three and out. They were able to punt the ball deep into the Owls own red zone, so they would need a long drive to get anything out of it. Garden Plain was stopped short and forced into their own three and out. Due to Garden Plains field position, Conway was able to start their own drive past the 50 yard line.
The Cardinals were finally able to put together a good offensive drive. They steadily moved the ball down the field. Conway was deep into Garden Plain’s red zone. Garden Plain was not going to let them on the board very easily.
The Owls were able to force them into a 4th and goal from the six yard line and Garden Plain was ready to stop the Cardinals and put together a long drive for themselves. Conway ran up to the line of scrimmage ready to snap the ball. Everyone on the field and in the stands knew where the ball was going. Conway was lined up in a formation with one player in the backfield. They were ready to snap the ball. They ran a hard count and everyone was frozen besides one Garden Plain defensive lineman. Conway was able to draw a penalty. This penalty pushed the Cardinals closer to the goal line.
Luckily it was still 4th and goal, but from a much shorter distance. Conway lined up in the same exact formation and snapped the ball. They’re able to barely get into the end zone.
Conway was starting to show the game was not over and they decided to go for an onside kick. The Owls were able to recover the ball.
They put together another long drive to add onto the score and put the game out of hand.
Coach Rice is very pleased with the team’s effort and execution. This was a huge win for them as they plan on building off of this. Coach Rice said, “Traveling on the road and taking on a very successful program like Conway will help to build confidence as we prepare for our upcoming district schedule.”
Garden Plain is looking to add another win onto their record with another huge week upcoming. The Owls will take on the Cheney Cardinals for their home opener.
