In the first round of the playoffs, the Conway Springs football team faced the 1-8 Independent Panthers on Oct. 31. They went on to the defeat the Panthers 55-6, outscoring them 55-0 in the first half.

    The Cardinals also hosted the Hesston Swathers in the second round on Nov. 4 with a 7 p.m. kickoff time. The score was neck-and-neck through all four quarters, but with a last-second 24-yard field goal, the Swathers defeated the Cardinals for their first and season-ending loss. The final score was 42-45.

    “At first I didn’t think he was gonna make it, but he did,” senior running back Trenton Jones said. “We were upset at first, but then you gotta think, ‘that was a good game.’”

    Jones led the Cardinals’ rushing game once again with 166 yards off of 29 carries. His season total reached more than 2,000 yards with 14.5 yards per carry. Although he has had a huge senior year, Jones said he isn’t interested in playing at the college level.

    Defensively, junior cornerback Zachary Mercer came up big for Conway with 10 total tackles against the Swathers’ offense. He also had one reception for 47 yards and a touchdown.

    “We knew they’d be a tough team. They went to the state game last year,” he said. “But nobody wants to lose, especially when it ends your season.”

    Although the Cardinals were named Regional runner-ups, most of the boys said they believe that their season amounts to more than their one loss. After all, they have outscored their opponents 589-142 this year. Senior linebacker Andrew Friess is one of those positive players.

    “We did good, but we would’ve liked to do better. 10-1 isn’t bad though, obviously,” he said. “It was our best season of these last four years.”

Photos By Clarissa Snow