In battle of ground games, Miege scrapes past Eudora in Kansas 4A football playoffs

After outlasting Eudora for a 15-point win in the sectional round of the 2021 Kansas Class 4A high school football playoffs, Bishop Miege team knew it would get all it wanted, and them some, from the Cardinals in Friday night’s second-round matchup.

That certainly proved to be the case, but the Stags were able weather the storm figuratively and literally to edge Eudora, 33-26.

“We knew it was going to be tough. The weather was tough and they’re a really good football team,” Miege coach Jon Holmes said. “They had a lot of the same guys that we went up against last year, so we knew we were going to have to bring it. Our guys were able to do that.”

The cold, windy and rainy conditions weren’t favorable for Miege’s high-powered aerial attack, but Stags quarterback Mac Armstrong still made a couple of big passes when he needed to in order to power Miege to a 21-12 halftime lead.

Armstrong was just 3 for 10 for 45 yards in the first half, but two of those completions went for touchdowns to Isaiah Coppage. The first came on a fourth and 6 on the Eudora 29-yard line, the second on a 7-yard toss with 10 seconds to go in the half.

“Mac Armstrong is special,” Holmes said. “Isaiah Coppage, Teryn Jackson, Tommy Wright, Daegen Jensen and Hollis Moeller — our wide receiver crew is pretty special, too.”

The second touchdown connection between Armstrong and Coppage came after the Stags got a short field from a blocked punt in Eudora territory. The Stags also had a special teams edge with Stephan Neenan making all three of his first half PATs while the Cardinals were forced to go for two because their kicker apparently wasn’t at full strength.

“In games like this, and especially against an offense like Eudora’s, you need to get up possession by possession,” Holmes said. “We were able to do that and keep them chasing us all night.”

The Stags leaned even more on their ground game in the second half. The one-two punch of DeAndre Beasley and David Garcia combined for nearly 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

After finding paydirt on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, Beasley scored again from 9 yards out to account for the third quarter’s only points. He finished with 121 yards on 17 carries.

Garcia’s 1-yard touchdown run pushed Miege’s lead to 33-20 with more than nine minutes left to give the Stags just enough of a cushion. Garcia paced the Miege backfield with 176 yards on 24 carries.

“I think that (our run game) was the difference between winning and losing,” Holmes said. “When you get in a game like this where you’re struggling to throw it, David Garcia and Dre Beasley gave us everything they had. The offensive line up front created big hole after big hole.”

Eudora’s backfield was also a force to be reckoned with. Shortly after Armstrong tossed his first touchdown pass to Coppage, Eudora running back Octavius Lyles gave the Cardinals a quick answer with a 49-yard touchdown run. The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, though, so Miege held a 7-6 lead.

Lyles was just getting started. He rumbled for 236 yards on 25 carries and added a 26-yard touchdown run with 11:45 to go in the second quarter.

“What I love about Octavius, and what people probably don’t know, is that he is the best teammate. He is constantly hyping up our O-line, fullbacks and slot receivers,” Eudora coach Drew Steffen said. “His hard work in the weight room and in track and dedication to football, combined with being a great teammate, has led to his success that he saw this year. He’s an all-state and all-league running back, in my mind.”

Errol Siemon also showed big play-making ability with seven carries for 62 yards. Quarterback Kole Manley added 54 yards on 11 carries.

Manley matched Armstrong’s two touchdown passes. Both of them came in the fourth quarter and went to his top target, Adrion Seals. Manley threw a 19-yard touchdown strike to Seals with 11:50 to go and then found Jaden Hamm for the 2-point conversion.

“The beauty is that he (Seals) is only a junior, so we’ll get to see that for another year next year,” Steffen said.

Miege answered Seals’ first touchdown catch with a touchdown drive that was capped by Garcia’s 1-yard score with 9:03 to play. The Cardinals made it a one-score game again with Seals’ 7-yard touchdown catch, but used more than seven minutes of clock to do so.

With 1:55 remaining, Coppage corralled Eudora’s onside kick and Miege got one last first down to run out the clock.

“To have a chance in the last two minutes, down a score and an onside kick opportunity, you can’t ask for anything more,” said Steffen, whose Cardinals finished 8-2. “Coach Holmes does an unbelievable job and his kids play hard. ...

“To be right there with them says a lot about our kids, coaches and community and how much we wanted to give everything we had.”

The Stags (8-2) will play host to Piper (6-3) in the 4A sectionals next weekend. The Pirates knocked off top-seeded Chanute 48-47 in double overtime on Thursday. St. James and St. Thomas Aquinas will square off in the other 4A East sectional matchup.

“They’re going to be a team that gives us everything we want again,” Holmes said. “At this time of the year, that’s what you get.”

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