Photo Credit: Nick Verbenec/www.nickverbenecphotography.comKaleb Scott hauled in 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns from senior signal caller Brady VanDonge and ran the football once for a 10-yard score to lead Basehor-Linwood to a crucial 42-14 United Kansas Conference win to even its record at 2-2 on the year.
After starting the year with two straight losses, Rod Stallbaumer’s Bobcats have shutout Turner 56-0 and upended Shawnee Heights 42-14 to begin its turnaround.
“This was big,” Stallbaumer said following Friday’s 28-point homecoming win. “Shawnee has a good football team. They’re a really good football team. For us to come out and play as well as we did, that’s big for this group. Hopefully, this will build confidence and we can continue to get better.”
With the win, Basehor-Linwood has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in four straight games, totaling five for the season.
The Bobcats took advantage of a short field to open the game’s scoring in the opening quarter. A botched snap on a punt allowed Basehor-Linwood to take possession at the Thunderbird 34-yard line.
Senior Brady VanDonge and Nash McCarty hooked up twice on the drive including an eight-yard toss that capped the seven-play drive, putting the hosts up 7-0 with 7:53 left in the opening quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Bobcats took over at their own 39-yard line after stopping Shawnee Heights on fourth and eight. Six plays later, Basehor-Linwood jumped on top 14-0 with 11:22 left in the half when Scott hauled in a nine-yard pass from VanDonge.
The first half flood gates remained open for the Bobcats later in the quarter when Sam Boetcher rumbled over from the one-yard line to cap a nine play, 61-yard drive with 3:58 left in the opening half.
Shawnee Heights found some offensive rhythm on its next possession and drove to the Basehor-Linwood 32-yard line. But Bobcat sophomore Cole Hofer ended the threat when he stepped in front of a Tuley pass and returned it to the Bobcat 40-yard line. Eight plays later, Scott scored from the 10 with 10-seconds left in the first half to put Basehor-Linwood up 28-0.
Shawnee Heights opened second half scoring via the short field after senior linebacker Noah Bacon latched onto a VanDonge pass and returned it to the Bobcat four-yard line. Allen Baughman rumbled in from the two-yard line two plays later to cut the deficit to 28-7.
On Basehor-Linwood’s next possession, the Bobcats quickly took all momentum back when Scott reeled in a 58-yard scoring strike from VanDonge down the left sideline to stake the home team to a 35-7 advantage.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds drove 48 yards in two minutes to cut the deficit to 35-14. Tuley completed three passes on the drive for 48 yards before Baughman battered the Bobcat defense for two yards and the score. The hosts led 35-14 with 10:43 left in the game.
Boetcher, who ran the football 21 times for 69 yards and a score, capped the game’s scoring 15-seconds later when he raced 80 yards with the ensuing kickoff to once again stifle Shawnee Heights’ momentum with 10 and a half minutes left in the contest.
“We put a lot of pride in special teams,” Stallbaumer said. “We put a lot of time into it in the offseason and in season. It’s a game changer. It absolutely is. When you get a quick score like that, it is demoralizing because it takes the momentum back away from them.”
VanDonge completed 23 of 36 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns to go along with a trio of interceptions. Tuley, on the other hand, was held to eight completions in 23 attempts for 84 yards and a pair of picks.
Baughman ran the football 26 times for 39 yards and a pair of scores for Shawnee Heights. Jayden Holly, meanwhile, caught three footballs for 72 yards for the Thunderbirds. As a team, the Basehor-Linwood churned out 19 first downs and 337 yards of offense while the Thunderbirds managed 216 yards of total offense and 11 first downs.
Basehor-Linwood (2-2) hits the road to battle 2-2 Leavenworth next Friday while Shawnee Heights (3-1) travels to DeSoto to take on the 3-1 Wildcats.
