By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Chapman Fighting Irish flexed their muscle again on Friday, defeating Clay Center 36-14 on homecoming night.
Not only does this win push Chapman to 6-1 heading into a crucial Week 8 showdown with Hesston, but it also propels the Irish ahead of Wamego in the NCKL, completing a worst-to-first flip of the league standings.
The Irish won this game the Chapman way, with 273 of their 289 total yards coming on the ground on a night in which they attempted just two passes.
Audiel Becker was the star of the show, toting 21 carries for 206 yards and five touchdowns on a stellar evening for the senior.
Chapman forced a three-and-out on Clay Center's opening drive before manufacturing a long touchdown drive that ate away the majority of the first quarter.
From there, the scoring floodgates opened, and each side punched in a pair of scores before the half, with Chapman's 2-point conversions making up the 16-14 halftime difference.
Clay Center had an opportunity to take the lead before the half, but freshman Sawyer Kirkpatrick jumped the route and secured his second pick of the season to preserve the Irish lead.
Both teams made solid halftime adjustments, but the Chapman defense sealed whatever cracks it may have had in the first half, pitching a second-half shutout to secure the win as Becker and the offense ran roughshod over the Tigers for three more scores.
That defensive effort was punctuated by a pair of fourth-down stops and Kirkpatrick's second interception of the night to put the game on ice with a 36-14 final.
The Irish hit the road next week for a district championship game against the Hesston Swathers, who, like Chapman, are 3-0 in district play and 6-1 overall.
You can relive every snap of this game on demand any time below.