Hartford coach Patrick Gardner had to know his first season running the Jaguars wasn’t going to be as easy as it was the first three weeks.
Now that the Jags have entered district play, that 3-0 start they enjoyed has given way to perhaps one of the toughest districts in Eight-Man Division I — a fact that was driven home last week when Hartford lost to undefeated Crest 54-24 in its district opener. It was the beginning of a rough three-week stretch — this week, the Jags (3-2, 3-1 Lyon County League) travel to Madison, then host Lebo next week. Three weeks, three straight as-yet-unbeaten teams.
Rebuilding programs usually have to take their lumps before they arrive, and Gardner knows the Jaguars took theirs last week against Crest, even though they were down by just two late in the first half.
“It’s tough when you’re trying to rebuild something up,” Gardner said. “But it’s also good when you have good kids that don’t quit on you and continue to work hard, and you can always build on that.”
The attitude and intensity Gardner’s Jags have brought to practice is something he gives them high marks for, and a significant part of their early-season success was their remarkable ability to take care of the ball. Until a crucial fumble against Crest, the Jags had gone the entire season without turning the ball over.
“I think what was so discouraging about it was the fact we were playing with them in the first half,” Gardner said. “It was 14-12, and then we give up a touchdown to them, and then it’s our turn to bring it back down and get another score on them, and then we have our first turnover of the year and fumble, and then they pick it up and score on a touchdown. And so instead of going in either tied or down a touchdown going into the second half, we go down 15 instead.
“And I think that was a little hard for them to overcome. That was really the first big adversity that we’ve faced all season.”
Hartford has shown that it has talent. Speedy senior Adam Ewy is one of the LCL’s more dangerous backs, and he ran for 110 yards on 18 carries last week. Quarterback Colten Barrett has thrown 10 TD passes without an interception, and Dustin Lingenfelter has been a productive pass-catcher. Gardner also likes what he has in senior fullback Jon Sliter.
“He is our leader on defense and offense,” Gardner said. “He does a really good job of motivating the guys, willing to work hard every day. And he wants it, because he’s planning on playing college football afterwards. So he knows that he has to get better every day, and he wants his teammates to get better with him.”
Madison, of course, has the type of program Gardner would love to build. The Bulldogs were undefeated last season until losing in the Eight-Man I semifinals, and they’re still one of the state’s best, possessing the capability to mercy-rule many opponents. Led by talented players like quarterback Henry Ott and fullback Zach Nowell, the Bulldogs sit at No. 4 in the Topeka Capital-Journal’s Eight-Man I rankings.
“Their defense is big, and they’ve got speed,” Gardner said. “So we’re really going to have to continue to do things offensively that we want to be able to do. We have to be able to get into their secondary rushing the football. If we can’t get by their first five and get into their secondary, it’s going to be a long night for us.”
Other Gazette surrounding-area games tonight:
Olpe (5-0) vs. Uniontown (2-3)
Another week, another visitor that the Eagles (No. 3 in Class 2-1A) should manhandle. Uniontown’s three losses have come by an average of 22 points. Meanwhile, Olpe posted its third shutout of the season last week in beating Sedan 48-0. Linden Stueve now has 711 yards rushing for the Eagles on 80 carries.
Lebo (5-0, 4-0) vs. SCC (2-3, 2-3)
The Wolves will try to avoid overlooking SCC and Hartford, their next two opponents, before they host Madison on Oct. 23. Lebo has put at least 32 points on the board in every game, including last weeks’ 46-0 blowout of Marmaton Valley.
Chase Co. (3-2, 3-2) vs. C. Grove (4-1, 3-1)
A week after the Bulldogs had to deal with one of the state’s most explosive runners, Osage City’s Jordan Tice, they’ll face a 4-1 Council Grove team. Chase County lost to Osage 54-24 last week as Tice ran for 270 yards. Mission Valley and Osage are atop the Flint Hills League with 4-0 league records; Council Grove is right behind at 3-1, and Chase County is a half game back of the Braves.
NHHS (2-3, 2-2) at W. Franklin (0-5, 0-5)
This week presents a golden opportunity for Northern Heights to get back to .500 overall and get over .500 in league play. Two weeks ago, West Franklin lost 42-13 at Lyndon, which Heights beat last week 23-13.
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