Abilene Wins Thriller at Ulysses
Erik Graefe
Steve Simpson’s Abilene Cowboys traveled nearly as far
west as can be traveled in Kansas to face a very fine Ulysses Tiger football
team in the first round of the 4A-1 state playoffs last Friday night. The cold
and wind vied all night with the spectacularly entertaining play of both teams
for the attention of fans. This game boasted a number of big plays, a number of
fine players, and many surprises, as well. The defining play of the evening, at
least from the Cowboy perspective, was turned in by junior safety Ryan Wilson
on an apparent fifty yard touchdown run by Ulysses’s Ian Rudzik. At the time,
the Cowboys were leading by a score of 14 to 6. Rudzik ran nearly untouched
around Abilene’s left side, and as he reached Abilene’s fifteen yard line, he
seemed to take his foot off of the gas believing Abilene’s defense had given up
pursuit. Rudzik’s assumption was true for all but one Cowboy, Ryan Wilson.
Wilson channeled his inner Kansas City Royal, simply refusing to give up on the
play, catching an unsuspecting Rudzik just prior to the goal line. Wilson
knocked the ball from Rudzik’s hand forcing it out of the back of the end zone
and awarding the Cowboys with possession of the ball as opposed to a Ulysses
touchdown. This play epitomized the night for the Cowboys. They simply refused
to be denied a victory.
Simpson would say later of his Cowboys, “We won this game
with our hearts. A lot of mistakes, a lot of chances to fade, but our guys just
kept fighting.” Rudzik would score 5 touchdowns on the night for Ulysses; while
seniors Harley Hazlett and Trey Bender would combine for six for Abilene.
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The game began with Rudzik scoring on a 56 yard run on
the Tiger’s first series. Hazlett would answer with a 56 yard touchdown run of
his own on Abilene’s very first offensive play. Following a Ulysses fumble, it
was Trey Bender’s turn to carry the offensive load. He did scoring ultimately
on a 9 yard run. Ryan LaCombe completed a pass to Parker Base for the two point
conversion, and Abilene took a 14-6 lead early. It was on the following
offensive series for Ulysses when Wilson denied Rudzik his second touchdown of
the night. However, Abilene would not be able to capitalize on Wilson’s play
and were forced to punt. Rudzik, surprise surprise, fielded Parker O’Neal’s
towering punt on his own 4 yard line proceeding to outrun eleven Cowboys for a
96 yard touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 14,
and fans knew they were in for a great three quarters of football.
For Abilene, the spotlight now returned to Trey Bender.
Following Rudzik’s punt return, Bender shouldered much of the weight on a drive
ending with Harley Hazlett’s second rushing touchdown. LaCombe’s kick put
Abilene back on top 21-14. Ulysses answered with another Rudzik touchdown and
two point conversion to regain the advantage, 22-21. The advantage was
short-lived. Trey Bender took the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a
touchdown. Bender’s touchdown combined
with a Hazlett pass for the two point conversion put Abilene back in front,
29-22. Rudzik would score one more time before half making the halftime score
30-29.
The second half would feature less scoring but no less
excitement. Abilene drove deep into Tiger territory to begin the second half,
but penalties forced them in to a 3rd and long when Hazlett found senior
wideout Dylan Ford on a pass in the flat. Ford eluded several Tiger tacklers to
put his team in position to take the lead on a field goal, but LaCombe’s try
sailed just left keeping the score 30-29. Ulysses mounted an impressive drive
of their own eating most of the remaining time in the 3rd quarter. Rudzik again
scored, his fifth of the night, putting his Tigers in front by two scores,
38-29.
As the fourth quarter began, Abilene trailed, but perhaps
still inspired by Wilson, the Cowboys never quit fighting. Senior quarterback
Harley Hazlett took control of the Cowboy offense down the stretch. Hazlett
completed several passes early on in the quarter to Bender, Michael Anguiano, Ben
Veach, and others. Hazlett completed nearly 70% of his passes on the night for
154 yards while running for over 100 yards and three touchdowns, and he was
never better than when the game was on the line. The short passing delivered
the Cowboys to the Ulysses goal line, and Trey Bender scored his third
touchdown of the night. Hazlett found Ben Veach in the back of the Tiger end
zone for the two point conversion bringing the Cowboys back to within one
point, 38-37.
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Nathan Howard’s defense forced another Tiger punt
following Bender’s touchdown. On a night when Howard’s defense seemed to have
no answers to stop the Tigers, Howard and his guys made adjustments that held
Ulysses to only eight second-half points and zero in the fourth quarter.
Following the Tiger punt, the Cowboys again rode Hazlett to the end zone. The
senior quarterback would score his final of three rushing touchdowns to
conclude the drive giving the Cowboys a 43-38 lead. Ulysses made the final act
interesting by marching the ball into Abilene territory, but fittingly, it was
Ryan Wilson who knocked away the last Tiger pass of the game in the end zone
with 7 seconds remaining. The Cowboys knelt one time, and the game was over.
The Abilene Cowboys celebrated with their regional championship trophy amid a
very impressive Abilene crowd who braved the cold and distance to see their
Cowboys win their first playoff game.
Coach Simpson’s assessment of his team’s performance was
spot on. This game was won, not with Xs or Os, not with adjustments, not with
trickery. This game was won with heart. Perhaps it sounds cheesy to those who
didn’t drive 270 miles to witness all of it, but not to those who did. The
Cowboys continue their quest for a championship at Andover Central this Friday
night at 7 p.m.
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