After getting their first-ever win over Indianola earlier this season, Winona Christian coach Ashley Kuhn knew getting the second would be a little tougher.
He was right in that it was tougher but the final outcome was a same.
The Stars pulled away in the fourth quarter and took a 42-27 win over the Colonels in the first-round of the MAIS Class 3A playoffs.
The Stars improves to 10-2 on the season and will face top seed Riverfield in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
WCS coach Ashley Kuhn said he knew it would be tougher with the Colonels this season.
“It’s playoff football and you are going to get the best of most people,” Kuhn said. “I thought they were better after they brought up the ninth grade quarterback. We scored quick and after we beat them the way we did earlier in the season, our kids might have thought it was going to be easy. But it’s the playoffs and you are going to get people’s best shot. I thought our kids played with a lot of poise and responded to everything they did. I was proud of that.”
The Stars struck first in the first quarter when Hill scored on a 46-yard touchdown run. Cannon Fisakerly hit the PAT and the Stars led 7-0 at the end of t4he first quarter.
The Stars added to their lead in the second quarter when Will Irwin scored on a 4-yard run and Fisakerly hit the PAT and the Stars led 14-0.
Indianola answered with a 1-yard run and cut the score to 14-7 before the Stars added another score on a 1-yard run from Irwin with less than a minute to go before the half. Fisakerly’s PAT gave the Stars a 21-7 lead.
“It was 21-7 at the half and they scored to pull within one score,” Kuhn said. “But we responded and were never really threatened and kept on responding. After watching the film, I thought we played better than I had originally thought. We just kept responding and never let them get close. It’s just hard to beat somebody twice.”
Indianola got the ball to start the second half and scored on a 3-yard run and also converted the PAT to cut the Winona Christian lead to 21-15.
Hill and the Stars answered quickly with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Greene. Fisakely’s PAT gave the Stars a 28-15 lead with about nine minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Colonels kept it close as they scored with about four minutes to go in the third on a 4-yard run. The PAT failed as Indianola cut the lead to 28-21, a score that held until the end of the third quarter.
The Stars once again went to the air as Hill hit Greene on a 19-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth. Fisakerly’s PAT was good and Stars led 35-21.
The Stars put the game away late in the fourth when Preston Fletcher blocked an Indianola punt and Austin Wiggins returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. Fisakerly’s PAT was good and the Stars led 42-21.
Indianola added a late score on the last play of the game for the final of 42-27.
The Stars had 128 yards passing and 156 yards passing for 284 yards of total offense. Hill was 11-of-16 passing for 128 yards with two TDs and also ran for 73 years on 12 carries. Irwin had 83 yards on 19 carries and two TDs. Greene had five catches for 66 yards and two TDs while Braxton Leach had 62 yards on seven catches.
On defense, Irwin led the Stars with 12 tackles while Austin Horne and Austin Wiggins each had seven tackles. Luke Beckwith and Preston Fletcher each had six tackles. Hill had five tackles while Greene, Hunter Land, Bryson McKnight and Jase Osborne each had four tackles. Irwin had an interception while Austin Wiggins recovered a blocked punt and returned it for touchdown.
This week’s game
The Stars will now hit the road to Rayville, La., to take on top-seeded Riverfield Academy.
The Raiders are 8-2 on the season and ended the regular season with a 28-16 win over Greenville St. Joseph. They also have wins over Centreville (14-7), Clinton Christian (46-6), Manchester (36-0), Washington (34-0), Greenville Christian (28-26)St. Aloysius (41-5) and Canton (29-6). They have losses to Bayou (24-13) and Tri-County (42-7).
“They are a good football team,” Kuhn said. “Kirk put them out last year and they return a lot of players. They just line up and come right at you. They are big and physical. They have a big tight end who’s about 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds and he’s a man child. We have played Kirk and Marshall who are really good but they may be more talented than both of them. They are just so physical.”
