Conway Springs football eyeing rare back-to-back Kansas high school state titles
Winning a state championship for the first time in 12 years felt sweet for Conway Springs football coach Matt Biehler last fall.
He understands how tough it is just to reach a state final. And he also knows how difficult it is to repeat as champions.
That’s the challenge ahead of a Conway Springs team (12-0) riding a 23-game winning streak and looking to repeat as Class 1A champions at 5 p.m. Saturday when the Cardinals take on Centralia (11-1) at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.
Biehler has been a part of all eight of Conway Springs’ state championships, whether as a head coach (two) or as an assistant (six). The Cardinals haven’t repeated since their run of four straight titles from 2001-04.
“It’s extremely difficult just to get to this game, so I was very proud of our kids this year,” Biehler said. “We played a really tough schedule this year and our kids were able to overcome some adversity and meet those challenges.”
Much of that adversity has been injuries, as Conway Springs has had to navigate entire games without some of its best players and the entire season with many of its top athletes able to play but limited due to injuries.
At one point Conway Springs was missing four starters due to injury, which played a role in needing two come-from-behind victories in the second half to maintain its perfect season.
Biehler believes it’s a credit to the senior class of 10, which has kept the Cardinals as a championship contender following the graduation of star players like Brayden Kunz and Nathan Berntsen.
“These seniors heard a lot about what is Conway Springs going to do when Brayden Kunz and Nathan Berntsen graduate,” Biehler said. “These guys put in the work in the offseason and made sure they were ready for this season. These 10 seniors have done a tremendous job leading our team and I feel like our single-T offense allows us to utilize a lot of different weapons this season and not just one.”
Senior Isaac Winter has stepped up to become the lead back in the offense and has produced 1,708 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Logan Osner has rushed for 1,141 yards and 12 touchdowns; senior Grant Fisher has added 606 rushing yards and senior Cade Howell nine rushing scores.
As a team, the Cardinals have rushed for nearly 4,000 yards, thanks to an offensive line anchored by Cooper Koster and Ashton Stull.
Centralia runs its own version of the single-T offense and also has a recent history of success, with state titles coming in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2019.
“It’s pretty neat because Centralia has a ton of tradition too and we’ve just never met in the playoffs before,” Biehler said. “I know we’re going to have to play a very physical football game and that’s something that we look forward to. We’re looking forward to meeting the challenge.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 5:19 AM.
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