Heights beats Emporia to gain 5A playoff berth
EMPORIA – During the course of a week of practice, Heights uses different combinations in its backfield to prepare for as many game scenarios as possible.
The Falcons knew their Class 5A-District 5 trip to Emporia would require some adjustments after junior quarterback Garrett Haskins broke his ankle in a victory over Andover last week.
“Everybody had to switch positions,” junior running back Rodney Murphy said. “I had to play a little fullback. I’ve never done that before.”
Murphy made everything look old hat on Friday, and No. 2 Heights moved into a 5A berth.
Murphy ran for 203 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Falcons overcome a sluggish second half as they defeated Emporia 41-28 at Welch Stadium.
Heights (7-1, 2-0) can win the district next week with a win against Kapaun Mount Carmel. But Falcons coach Terry Harrison issued caution to his team after watching it struggle to put Emporia away.
“The stakes only rise every week,” Harrison told the Falcons in his postgame address. “We’ve got some real things to fix.”
Statistically, Heights nearly matched the 466 rushing yards it produced in its district opener against Andover. The Falcons ran for 457 yards Friday. Senior Tre King backed Murphy with 14 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
With Haskins leaning on crutches on the sideline, senior Trenton Autry – Heights’ quarterback last season – moved back under center from running back and ran for 96 yards. But after guiding the Falcons to a touchdown on their opening possession, Autry went to the turf and grabbed his right knee as Heights closed in on a second touchdown.
“I felt my knee pop,” Autry said. “But after walking on it a little bit, it felt a little bit better.”
Autry returned to the game in the second quarter, and Heights used touchdown runs of 54 and 82 yards from Murphy to build a 27-6 halftime lead. Murphy’s speed produced 142 yards before the break on four rushing attempts.
“Every time I touch the ball, I want to score a touchdown, of course,” Murphy said “The coaches just told me to get as many yards as possible.
“Tonight, we just had big holes open up and I hit them.”
Emporia (3-5, 0-2), led by former City League head coach and assistant Corby Milleson, opened the second half with a 65-yard touchdown drive, and pulled within 33-20 after three quarters when quarterback Tanner Taylor connected with Derek Summey with one of his three touchdown passes.
Murphy increased Heights’ lead to 41-20 on his third touchdown with 5:44 remaining. But the Falcons were hindered by several penalties and lost two fumbles inside Emporia’s 10.
“It’s nice you can be disappointed but you still win a game 41-28,” Harrison said. “It’s just stuff we’ve got to fix if we want to make a run in the playoffs.”
Heights will move forward with Autry at quarterback. After shaking off his injury, he was happy with his return to his old position.
“I’ve been through it playing varsity games last year,” Autry said. “I know the offense pretty well.
“I just try to put our guys in correct positions and keep moving the ball.”
Heights | 13 | 14 | 6 | 8 | – | 41 |
Emporia | 6 | 0 | 14 | 8 | – | 28 |
H—King 33 run (Rodriquez kick)
H—King 7 run (kick failed)
E—Summey 37 pass from Taylor (kick failed)
H—Murphy 54 run (Rodriquez kick)
H—Murphy 82 run (Rodriquez kick)
E—Taylor 24 run (Dobbins kick)
H—McCray 4 run (kick failed)
E—Summey 9 pass from Taylor (Dobbins kick)
H—Murphy 3 run (King pass from Autry)
E—Kirmer 55 pass from Taylor (Taylor run)
Individual Statistics
Rushing—Heights, Murphy 15-203, King 14-125, Autry 19-96, McCray 7-23, Garner 5-10, Zimmerman 1-0. Emporia, Brooks 3-31, Taylor 18-22, Kirmer 3-17, Schlote 10-12.
Passing—Heights, Autry 1-2-8-0, Zimmerman 0-1-0-0. Emporia, Taylor 8-19-148-0.
Receiving—Heights, Johnson 1-8. Emporia, Kirmer 1-55, Summey 3-51, Baumgardner 2-23, Allen Luthi 2-19.
This story was originally published October 25, 2014 at 12:33 AM with the headline "Heights beats Emporia to gain 5A playoff berth."