After 0-3 start, Conway Springs reaches semifinals of Kansas high school football playoffs

For the first time in nearly four decades, the Conway Springs football team lost its first three games of the season.

The 0-3 record was stunning to see from a program that has won seven state championships since 1984, the last time it went winless in the first three weeks of a season.

In another program, the slow start might have torpedoed the rest of the season. At Conway Springs, coach Matt Biehler didn’t panic. He trusted the process that has churned out winning football teams for decades and went to work to help his team improve.

“We talked to the kids about what their focus should be throughout the year,” Biehler said. “We knew we had to keep them grounded.”

Two months later, Conway Springs is in the midst of an eight-game winning streak and its deepest playoff run in a decade. The Cardinals (8-3) will host Inman (10-1) in the Class 1A semifinals on Friday with a chance to play for their first state championship since 2011, when they captured the Class 3A title.

After losing the last four years in the sectional championship round, last week’s 39-14 win over Wabaunsee was an emotional one for the Conway Springs seniors.

“We’ve been eliminated in that round the last four years, so they had their mind on helping us get over that hump,” Biehler said. “They’ve worked hard in the offseason and really bought into the system. They have tremendous focus and this is a fun group to coach.”

No player has been better during the turnaround than junior Brayden Kunz, who has rushed for 2,154 yards and 26 touchdowns on offense and leads the defense with 89 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns at linebacker.

“He’s a special kid,” Biehler said. “He has a lot of power and great vision, and he’ll be the first to thank the guys up front for clearing the holes for him.”

Conway Springs has also benefited from the unselfish acts of some of the top players on the team. Zane Zoglmann, an all-state lineman last season, shifted to tight end and linebacker, while Nathan Berntsen moved to fullback to give the team another running threat to complement Kunz.

Both players have excelled in their new roles, while the offensive line — led by Gunner Williams, Ben Ward, Russell Chitwood, Jacob Osner and Blake Pauly — has improved as the season has progressed.

“A lot of kids wouldn’t want to make that move, but those guys are true leaders who just want to help our team win,” Biehler said. “Once we did that, then the guys up front started to come along and the other backs started to block better. Everybody started to become more confident and (carry) out their fakes and (block) well. ... It all went together.”

Since the offense was shut out in losses to Garden Plain (6-0) and Kingman (36-0) — and the team was blown out at home by Chaparral (40-15) — Conway Springs has averaged 39.4 points on offense during its winning streak.

The biggest win during that stretch came in Week 7, when Conway Springs won 35-14 over Inman, which was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class 1A at the time.

Biehler knows his team will have to play even better on Friday in the rematch.

“We’re going to have to play a smart game and keep our penalties down and have no turnovers,” Biehler said. “And another big thing is that we’ve got to limit Inman’s big plays because we know they are capable of hurting you in a hurry. We’ve got to play solid defense and be relentless up front.”