One could say that the Dodge City High School Red Demons got Bombardiered Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
Hays quarterback Bryant Bombardier threw a pair of touchdown bombs in the first half and then added a short scoring toss early in the fourth quarter, propelling the unbeaten Indians to a 28-17 victory over Dodge City before a disappointed Homecoming crowd.
In a Western Athletic Conference clash filled with momentum-seizing plays, none loomed larger than Bombardier's 10-yard touchdown pass to Casey Sedbrook on third-and-7 with 8:22 remaining. It extended the Indians' lead to 28-17 and effectively served as the knockout punch to the Red Demons.
While Dodge City (4-2, 1-2) saw its WAC championship hopes dissolve in suffering its second straight WAC loss, Hays (6-0) is in the driver's seat in conference standings at 3-0.
"We're not playing together," deadpanned Dodge City coach Justin Burke. "We got caught against Great Bend (in a 28-27 road loss last Friday) and we didn't fix some things. I thought we had those things fixed, but we didn't.
"Guys weren't communicating, and we just didn't get it done. We've got too much attitude now. We read the paper too much when things were going right. Now we have to dig down through adversity and it's hard."
This one had all of the earmarks of a shootout, especially the way the back-and-forth first half transpired.
Bombardier started the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown scamper with 2:47 left in the first quarter. It capped a four-play, 68-yard drive that was highlighted by Josh Balman's 63-yard burst up the middle on a trap play down to the 7.
After Bombardier was dropped for a 3-yard loss by Dodge's Matt Esquibel on first down, Bombardier then took off on a bootleg for his 10-yard TD on second down and a 7-0 lead.
Like it would do later in the second quarter, Dodge City had an answer for Hays' score.
Demons quarterback Ty Thomas snuck in a 1-yard scoring plunge with 1:32 left in the first quarter, tying the game at 7. Standout tailback Jace Banner had two long gains to plant the ball at the 1.
On first down, Banner ripped off a 27-yard run to the Hays 33 and then wiggled free from the grasp of an Indians defender on second down, racing down the left sideline and diving headlong for the pylon. He was ruled out at the 1.
Midway through the second quarter, the Indians went up 14-7 after Ryan Runkles caught a 42-yard play-action pass from Bombardier. It came shortly after Dodge was flagged for an encroachment penalty on a third-and-3 situation, giving Hays a first down at the 36. Two plays later, they were in the end zone.
Just 14 seconds later, the Demons tied the score at 14, when special-teams stalwart Trey Hallman returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. Josh Ginther's extra-point kick knotted the score.
Hays answered with an eight-play, 66-yard scoring drive. The Indians ran seven straight running plays before they caught Dodge off-guard with a 26-yard scoring pass from Bombardier to a wide-open Josh Balman for a 21-14 edge with 2:56 left in the half.
A zig-zagging, grain-cutting 48-yard pass reception for Banner on the final play of the first half put the Demons in the red zone at the 4 as time ran out. But Hays was flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty on Thomas, and Dodge was given one last play.
However, Thomas' pass fell incomplete and the Demons had a seven-point deficit at intermission.
For the second straight game, the Demons failed to score a touchdown in the second half. They were shut out 21-0 after leading Great Bend 27-7 last Friday, and managed a 25-yard field goal by Josh Ginther as their only points of the second half.
Ginther's boot cut the margin to 21-17, but that's as close as Dodge would get in the second half. The final moments of the game were marred with the Demons getting flagged for a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the same play.
"I don't think we played well tonight," Burke said. "I think Hays played better. I think we're still a matter of not playing with enough effort. We're not playing together right now.
"We thought the biggest thing was that our team chemistry was real good and now it's not. We've got guys doing their own thing, and that's something we've got to fix."
Dodge heads to Goddard next Friday for the first of three Class 6A district games, a second three-game season, if you will.
"The good thing about districts is that all of our chances for the playoffs start next week," Burke said.
DODGE CITY —
