Right time, right place: Gatschet helps propel Carroll past Maize to 5A semifinals
Whenever Bishop Carroll has needed a momentum-swinging play on defense, Cade Gatschet has been there all season.
The senior safety once again delivered the game-changing play on Friday, as his third-quarter interception helped propel Carroll to a 49-35 road victory over Maize in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Carroll (8-2) won its fifth game in a row and will play at No. 1-ranked Wichita Northwest (9-0) in next Friday’s 5A semifinals, while Maize (9-2) reached the state quarterfinals for the fourth straight season.
“We rely on that from him,” Carroll coach Dusty Trail said. “Cade is a big-play guy and we know he can make those type of plays because he’s so athletic. We expect that out of him.”
“I’m just trying to be a playmaker out there for my team,” said Gatschet, who led Carroll with a team-high 73 tackles and six turnovers forced entering Friday. “I spend a lot of time in the film room. I know big plays on defense can change the game.”
It seemed inevitable that Carroll and Maize were going to trade touchdowns until the last team with the ball prevailed.
That thought was flipped late in the third quarter when Gatschet read the eyes of Maize quarterback Avery Johnson (395 total yards, four touchdowns) and swooped in for an interception. Carroll had just taken a 35-28 lead and Gatchet’s interception provided a rare defensive stop, which allowed Carroll to double its lead on a rushing touchdown by Aiden Niedens (406 total yards, five touchdowns) with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
It was the first two-score lead of the game and sparked three straight scores that put Maize in a 49-28 deficit it never recovered from.
“It swung the momentum toward our side,” Trail said. “I think it kind of deflated (Maize). You could see it on the field that they were a little frustrated. So from a mental standpoint, I think it was huge.”
“Whenever the defense makes a play like that, it motivates the offense to make some even better plays,” Niedens said. “There was definitely some good energy on the field after (Gatschet) made that play.”
Gatschet has been no stranger to making timely plays this season for Carroll.
In a 31-28 victory over Kapaun Mt. Carmel on Sept. 11, Gatschet forced a fumble 15 yards away from the end zone to end Kapaun’s potential game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to preserve victory. And then last week, Gatschet blocked a field goal right before halftime that was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by Ryan Birch for the momentum-swinging play in Carroll’s 42-28 win at Hutchinson.
“He’s just instinctive,” Carroll defensive coordinator Jim Nance said. “We can line people up and put them exactly where we want them to be, but you still need those instincts to know where the ball is going to go. Cade has that sixth sense. He can read the quarterback and he can read routes and he’s got great breaking speed.”
Carroll’s defense was the first team this season to successfully bottle up Maize’s star running back Josh Sanders, who was limited to 67 yards rushing on 17 carries. Sanders found other ways to impact the game, catching seven passes for 81 yards through the air.
While Niedens threw for 241 yards, the quarterback and running back Hunter Trail (175 yards, two touchdowns) combined for 340 rushing yards.
Bishop Carroll 49, Maize 35
Carroll (8-2) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | — | 49 |
Maize (9-2) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | — | 35 |
M—Helm 25 pass from Johnson (Segraves kick)
BC—Niedens 3 run (Garcia kick)
BC—Trail 2 run (Garcia kick)
M—Johnson 19 run (Segraves kick)
BC—Gallardo 7 pass from Niedens (Garcia kick)
M—Stephens 19 pass from Johnson (Segraves kick)
BC—Gallardo 27 pass from Niedens (Garcia kick)
M—Cohoon 30 pass from Johnson (Segraves kick)
BC—Gallardo 46 pass from Niedens (Garcia kick)
BC—Niedens 14 run (Garcia kick)
BC—Trail 8 run (Garcia kick)
M—Sanders 1 run (Segraves kick)
Rushing—Carroll, Trail 29-175, Niedens 18-165, Holthusen 1-4, Maul 1-2, Gallardo 2-2; Maize, Johnson 8-69, Sanders 17-67.
Passing—Carroll, Niedens 17-21-0-241; Maize, Johnson 22-38-1-326.
Receiving—Carroll, Gallardo 5-92, Holthusen 6-89, Ferguson 4-32, Maul 1-16, Trail 1-12; Maize, Sanders 7-81, Helm 7-79, Cohoon 3-64, Hanna 2-61, Stephens 2-30, Crockett 1-11.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 6:05 AM.
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