By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Four weeks ago things looked dire for the Chapman Fighting Irish, who were just 1-4 and battling for their lives in district play.
Despite the slow start, the Irish quickly righted the ship, putting their newly developed experience on full display to win two of their last three including a blowout of Wichita Trinity and a fourth-quarter comeback against Clearwater.
“We played a lot of guys early that had no varsity experience and now they’re starting to figure things out,” Chapman head coach Kurt Webster said. “We’ve just focused on getting a little better each week and I feel that we are hitting our stride at the right time.”
One of those early losses came at the hands of Clay Center in a 24-0 shutout, and to advance to this year’s round of 16, the Irish will need to avenge that loss against a now 5-3 Tiger team.
“Clay is a very good well-coached football team,” Webster said. “They are very physical and have some of the best skill players we've seen. Defensively they are aggressive and run to the football well.”
While 5-3 won’t raise many eyebrows on paper, Clay Center played a gauntlet of a schedule, falling only to undefeated Wamego (#4 in 4A) undefeated Southeast of Saline (#1 in 2A), and 7-1 Rock Creek (#3 in 3A) beating every other opponent on their schedule by double digits.
The Tigers enter this contest with the 6th best rushing offense (252 yds/g) and 7th best total offense (360 yds/g) through seven weeks, and stopping the ground attack will be critical to Chapman’s success on Friday.
While the Irish have struggled in a few key areas, Chapman has re-established itself as a power-run football program, boasting the third-best rushing offense in Class 3A (270 yds/g) through seven weeks.
“We’ve learned how to compete and win tough ball games,” he said. “We have to execute our offense, Clay is smart and physical and this game will all come down to execution.”
Many around the state will expect this contest to be a ground war, with each battling the other for five yards in a cloud of dust.
Clay Center has posted the eighth-best rushing defense in Class 3A holding opponents to 128 yards per game on the ground while the Irish allow just 48 more at 171.
With a renewed sense of confidence and experience, this game could be just what Chapman needs to inch closer to .500 and continue playing their best football in the month of October.
“We need to get back to playing with an edge like we have in years past,” Webster said. “This group needs to be confident and have an edge about them. To win we will have to play hard, be tough, and execute.”
Kickoff between the Tigers and Irish is set for 7 pm at Clay Center High School with the winner advancing to take on 7-1 Wichita Collegiate or 2-6 Concordia in the round of 16.