By ADAM COULTER
Salina Post Contributor
Sacred Heart went into its game with Republic County looking for a third straight win and to earn another home game to start the postseason. After giving up a game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown, the Knights pulled away for a 32-13 win.
Sacred Heart won the opening coin flip and deferred to the second half while Republic County wasted no time making a statement. The Buffs needed just 12 seconds to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Knights would answer with Dom Matteucci completing a drive with a 9-yard touchdown reception at the 8:03 mark. The two-point conversation was no good and the score remained 7-6 at the end of the opening quarter.
Noah Hines caught the first of three touchdown passes with 6:24 left before halftime to give Sacred Heart a lead it would never relinquish. Matteucci added the two-point conversation to make the score 14-7.
Quarterback Maddox Wells and Hines hooked up again with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter. This time it was a 37-yard reception. Although the two-point conversation failed, the Knights went ahead by two possessions 20-7.
Despite that, the Buffs had one last chance to answer before halftime and they made the most of it. With no time on the clock, a pass to the the endzone pulled Republic County within a 20-13 score.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Knights tacked on two additional scores to put the game away. Both two-point conversation attempts were no good, but Sacred Heart got what it came for - a 37-13 win on its senior night and to host its game in week nine.
Sacred Heart drew the 8-seed in the western bracket in class 1A. The Marion Warriors will travel to Salina on Friday night as the ninth-seeded team of 16 from the west. The Warriors finished with a 6-2 overall record and 2-2 in their district with their only losses to once-beaten Sedgwick and undefeated Moundridge.
The Knights and Warriors matchup will begin at 7pm Friday night at JRI Stadium in Salina. Live streaming video and audio can be seen and heard, as always, at salinapost.com.