HAZEN -- Hazen had lost three previous playoff games against Rison, but the Hornets beat the Wildcats 22-14 Friday night in the Class 2A playoffs at Hornet Field.
Big plays by junior running back Logan Penn in the first half set up option keepers by senior quarterback Lucas Tenison in the second half that helped Hazen get breathing room.
Tenison scored from 54 yards early in the fourth quarter to give Hazen (13-0) a 15-8 lead, and then from 35 yards to make it 22-8 with 5:57 left.
Rison (11-2) scored on a 1-yard run by junior running back Bryson Marks with 1:22 left, but senior Chase Vanhouten recovered Rison's onside kick attempt and Hazen ran out the clock.
Hazen Coach Joe Besancon said Penn has been someone opponents have had to keep track of all season.
"But Tenison has really picked up his game for us," Besancon said. "He's really been playing well lately."
Rison Coach Clay Totty gave Hazen all the credit.
"They beat us at the line of scrimmage," Totty said. "They deserved to the win the football game."
Hazen will host McCrory, a team Hazen defeated 30-0, in a regular-season game on Sept. 26.
Rison scored first on a 56-yard touchdown run by Marks, who also ran in the subsequent two-point conversion to give Rison a 8-0 lead with 8:41 left in the first quarter.
Hazen's next possession was stopped at Rison's 8, but junior Grant Boothe kicked a 25-yard field goal to put Hazen within 8-3.
Penn got rolling early in the second quarter, following a block on the perimeter by senior Trenton Mosby and running 62 yards to give the Hornets a 9-8 lead.
Tenison rushed 15 times for 181 yards. Penn rushed 14 times for 119 yards, 105 of which came in the first half.
"The got a lot of weapons, and they do a good job of getting it to them," Totty said.
Among Hazen's previous losses to Rison was a 2-0 defeat in the 1982 state championship game played on a soaking wet Hornet Field. The game is still remembered in Hazen as the Mud Bowl.
Hazen had won its first 12 games this season by an average of 36.6 points. Rison's one loss came in the second week when it was defeated by Junction City, the two-time defending Class 2A champions, 48-8.
Hazen had a more impressive regular season, but Rison's playoff tradition is rivaled by few schools. It has won eight state championships, its first in 1950, and its most recent in 2004. Rison has won 29 conference championships. Hazen has yet to win a state title, and its conference championship in the 6-2A this season was its ninth.
"When you beat one of Coach Totty's teams, you've done a lot," Besancon said. "They're going to be very disciplined, and you know they're not going to beat themselves. It was a hard-fought victory, because Rison is a dynamite football team."
MCCRORY 26,
CROSS COUNTY 22
CHERRY VALLEY — Kaigen Rogo rushed for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 carries to lead McCrory (9-3) over Cross County (9-4).
Rogo scored from 14 yards out with 7:00 left to help McCrory, the No. 3 seed from the 6-2A, take a 26-22 lead.
Cade Campbell threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 60 yards. Ken Dewitt scored two touchdowns.
Hunter Davis led the Jaguars defensively with 18 tackles.
Anfernee Davis scored three rushing touchdowns for the Thunderbirds, the No. 2 seed from the 3-2A.
JUNCTION CITY 48, DES ARC 0
JUNCTION CITY — JaQwis Dancy ran for 325 yards and (11-0) on 13 carries as Junction City (11-0) shut out Des Arc (10-3) in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state playoffs.
Junction City will host Earle in the semifinals Friday night with a chance to return to the state championship game for the third consecutive season. Junction City has won the past two Class 2A state titles. Des Arc never found a way to slow down Dancy, who scored on runs of 80, 68 and 51 yards .
Josh Armstrong added a 15-yard touchdown run and caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Randall Holyfield.
Junction City’s defense also pitched in with two touchdowns. Keandre Evans returned an interception 92 yards for a score, and Seandarrious Levingston returned a fumble for another touchdown. The Dragons defense limited Des Arc to 137 yards of total offense, all of it coming on the ground.
Sports on 11/29/2014