BY CHARLES CHANEY
ROSALIA, Kan. — It only took five plays for Flinthills’ defense to assert their dominance on Friday night.
Beau Hall stripped running back Lincoln Dowell and it was Luke Jenkins forcing the fumble and Beau Hall recovered.
It was going to be that kind of night for Sedan.
Flinthills forced three turnovers, all fumbles, on their way to a 30-0 win that was shortened by the storm that rumbled into Butler County in the middle of the third quarter.
The win moved Flinthills to 2-1 on the year.
“We went out there and did what we wanted to do,” head coach Chase Casteel said “And to do it especially on Homecoming was nice.”
The Mustangs are in a precarious position that on the surface looks like last season, where they also beat Sedan to go 2-1. They would drop their next four. Casteel is adamant this season is different.
“Last year sits very close to the front of my mind, ” Casteel said. “We’re not going to repeat the same mistakes that we made last year. We are going to we are going to keep our focus on our goals, which is, you know, one week at a time, we’re going to do what we can.
“Last season is very much a good reminder to us why this season is so special.”
Junior Tripp Carney agreed.
“We’re all friends,” he said. “We’re all hanging out with one another and having team dinners. We’ve hopefully become more of a team because of that.”
The addition of Hall helps things.
Hall move to Rosalia this summer, once again changing schools. After going to middle school in Burlington, he spent a couple of seasons in El Dorado and now he’s in Rosalia. The change has been easy. He cites how welcoming his team has been. Trusting the group of guys has become second nature.
“It’s kind of easy [to trust them],” Halls aid. “I know if I get hit, they’re going to be there to bring me back up and I’ll do the same. We are able to help each other and hold each other accountable.”
Hall did his part on Friday night. He ran for 159 yards in less than three quarters and scored three of the four touchdowns. The junior has fit in pretty nicely.
For Carney, his role has changed this season. He started out as a wide receiver but with the loss of quarterback Kaleb Grunder for the foreseeable future, Carney was switched to quarterback. He’s the type of player that will do whatever it takes to win for his team. Even if it means throwing nice 5-yard touchdown passes.
“I knew that we would need a guy in the backfield that is that has confidence in himself, confidence in his teammates, confidence in the playbook, and just overall, somebody that I’m still not afraid to let him have the football,” Casteel said about Carney. “
Carney said he’s just doing whatever it takes to win.
“If that’s what I got to do [play QB], then I’ll try my best to get better and be good for the team,” Carney said. “Whatever spot the team needs me in to help us win.”
Win they did on Friday night.
Defense held Sedan to only 51 yards rushing and forced three fumbles. They were aggressive and were constantly forcing Sedan QB Ethan Zimmerman to scramble out of the pocket. They were able to get three separate holding penalties on the Blue Devils in the first half.
Flinthills finally got on the board in the second quarter when a bad punt gave them the ball near midfield. Five plays later, Hall rumbled in for the 12 yard touchdown.
Then, after a Ty Finley fumble recovery it was Hall again. This time, making one defender dive at his ankles and he was gone, 63 yards to the house and the Mustangs were up 16-0.
Hall also had six tackles on defense, including a sack and a fumble forced. Jaxon Swafford had eight tackles to lead Flinthills. Talon Scribner had four tackles. Taylor Carroll also had a sack in the game.
They weren’t done because right before halftime Carney punched the ball out of Dowell’s hands and it landed in the basket of Swafford. Six plays later, it was Carney rewarding Finley for the touchdown he should’ve had. A 5-yard touchdown pass with five seconds remaining put the Mustangs up 24-0 with five seconds to go in the first half.
The Mustangs would go 9 plays to open the second half, capped off by a diving Hall to make it 30-0.
Hall finished with 159 yards on 17 carries and the three touchdowns. He only touched it once in the second half for the 6-yard score. It’s a nice ying-yang, pick your poison between him and Carney.
“They’re going to have to pick one,” Casteel said. “We are very confident moving forward with trip and Bo, both in the backfield, giving us giving us their best.”
In all, Flinthills ran for 200 yards in less than three quarters. A mercy-rule felt unavoidable the way the Mustangs were playing.
“We’re not giving up this year,” Carney said. “The best is yet to come.”
For Flinthills, having 35 players allows more rest and it allows for more competition in practice. It’s also why the best is yet to come. They’re challenging each other and continuing to build that foundation. Gone are the days of winless seasons. Flinthills has won at least two games every year Casteel has been at the helm.
This season is poised for more. Maybe even a playoff run.
“My coaches are why we’re where we are at,” Casteel said. “Coach [Jon] Dunbar does a great job with our scouting and getting our guys ready every week.”
They’re building something in Rosalia. The players look bought in. The community wrapped the fence around the field. They’re building something in Rosalia.
“That’s our big message,” Casteel said. “As long as we stay assignment sound, we should be pretty good against anybody.”
Flinthills 30, Sedan 0
Sedan 0 0 0 X – 0
Flinthills 0 24 6 X – 30
Game called due to lightning in 3Q
F – Hall 12 run (Carney run)
F – Hall 63 run. (Carney run)
F – Finley 5 pass from Carney (Carney to Finley)
F – Hall 6 run (pass failed)
RUSHING: Sedan – Zimmerman 8-45; Dowell 5-6. Totals: 13-51. Flinthills: Hall 17-159; Carney 5-16; Swafford 1-13; Finley 1-21. Totals: 24-200.
PASSING (C-A-I-YD-TD): Sedan – Zimmerman 6-8-0-83-0. Flinthills – Carney 5-11-0-24-1. Davis 0-1-0-0-0.
RECEIVING: Sedan – Stout 4-69; Butler 2-14. Flinthills – Finley 2-7; Hall 1-8; Swafford -12; Davis 1-(-3).
