Derby headed back to Class 6A title game after pounding Free State
The goal, at Derby, is never to just get there. That will never be good enough.
The goal is to win the whole darn thing.
Next Saturday, for the second time in three years, Derby will play for the Class 6A football championship after dispatching Free State 35-14 on Friday in the Class 6A semifinals.
“It’s the ultimate goal for us, it’s the ultimate goal for a lot of teams,” Derby coach Brandon Clark said. “If you’re not playing for a state championship, why are you playing?”
Derby (11-1) will face Blue Valley (10-2) for the 6A title at Welch Stadium in Emporia. They got there with another big game from senior quarterback Brady Rust and a stifling effort by the defense, which held Free State to 214 yards of offense and just 27 yards in the first half.
Derby won the 6A title in 2013.
“They just wouldn’t let us get anything going offensively,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said. “Every time we got even a little bit of momentum, they snatched it away. They were just so tough up front.”
Derby went up 7-0 on the first play of the second quarter on a 2-yard pass from Rust to tight end Kaleb Kelley that capped a 17-play, 71-yard drive in which the Panthers converted three fourth downs.
After Free State tied the score at 7-7 on a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zack Sanders, Derby answered with a 17-yard touchdown run by Kristian Breedlove and a 3-yard touchdown run by Rust for a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Rust ate up big chunks of the field by finding junior wide receiver Kenyon Tabor for big gains —including 42- and 41-yard gains that set up scores.
Rust finished 13 of 19 passing for 222 yards and one touchdown. He added 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Tabor had seven catches for 137 yards.
“Brady is such a tremendous runner, that’s what opened up the passing game,” Tabor said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we’d pass this much. Things just worked in our favor, thank God.”
Clark said they should’ve passed more.
“We probably should’ve passed more, and that pick-six is on me ... I shouldn’t have called that throw,” Clark said. “Brady threw the ball well and ran hard. He’s the emotional leader of this team.”
Rust added two short rushing touchdowns in the second half to put the game away. Derby held dynamic, dual-threat Free State quarterback Bryce Tornedento 88 rushing yards on 21 carries.
“This is the world for us,” Rust said. “It’s what we’ve all been working for, but we’re still not satisifed. We need to still win one more game.”
And it’s that one more game that separates generations of players at Derby, where a great year’s only qualification is having another year added to the sign that faces Madison Street outside of Panther Stadium. A year that represents a state championship for the Panthers.
“It’s every senior’s dream to go out with a state championship,” Derby senior defensive end Ryan Stang said. “It’s a heavy weight, but it’s also an awesome thing to carry on your shoulders. It puts the pressure on you, but it also puts everything in perspective. Winning districts is nice, winning in the semifinals is nice but that’s not our final goal.”
Free State | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | 14 |
Derby | 0 | 21 | 7 | 7 | — | 52 |
D—Kelley 2 pass from Rust (Moeder kick) 11:55 2nd
FS—Sanders 35 int. return (Lake kick) 6:02 2nd
D—Breedlove 17 run (Moeder kick) 4:34 2nd
D—Rust 3 run (Moeder kick) 1:14 2nd
D—Rust 4 run (Moeder kick) 9:35 3rd
FS—Torneden 45 run (Lake kick) :31 3rd
D—Rust 4 run (Moeder kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing—Free State, Torneden 21-88, Skwarlo 7-15, Bowlin 2-3, Flynn 1-20. Derby, Rust 32-109, Breedlove 17-85, Kooser 4-5.
Passing—Free State, Torneden 8-20-81-1. Derby, Rust 13-19-222-1.
Receiving—Free State, Sanders 5-59, Lewis 1-10, Kerna 1-5, Miller 1-7. Derby, Tabor 7-137, Jones 3-21, Kelley 2-34, Lemons 1-29.
This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Derby headed back to Class 6A title game after pounding Free State."