With the win last week to give them momentum heading into their first district competition, the 2-1 Jays welcomed the 2-1 Minneapolis Lions in the first game of district battle on Friday, Sept. 23. Sabetha took an early lead, built on it in the second quarter and put the hammer down to dominate their guests, 39-7.

“Starting district play with an opponent that we’ve never played is unsettling, but our team came out ready to play,” said Head Coach Garrett Michael.

Sabetha made quick work of the Lion’s defense in the opening drive of the contest when they picked apart their opponent and the Jays found the end zone in just three plays in two and a half minutes. The drive was capped off with a 36-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Matthew Garber to his junior receiver Marcus Bauman for the score. Junior kicker Nate Menold split the uprights, and the Jays led 7-0.

Minneapolis was forced to punt on their first possession of the game and the Bluejays ate the clock in the first quarter, chewing up turf in the ground game, but also airing it out on occasion. Junior receiver Christian McAfee had a 15-yard reception and sophomore Mitchel Kramer had a catch. With a punt eminent on a fourth and four, Sabetha pulled off a perfect fake to gain yardage needed for the first down and continued their push. But a fumble early in the second period killed the drive with a Lion recovery and the Jays went on defensive.

Senior Jonathan Renyer scored on a 20-yard run in the second stanza, and fellow senior Davis Rokey scored on a 44-yard pitch-and-catch from Garber in the frame. Renyer had a nine-yard reception for the Jays with less than a minute left in the half. Minneapolis had their lone score in the second quarter and the Bluejays led 26-7 at the break, with Sabetha amassing 310 yards of total offense in the half to the Lions’ 136 yards.

“Offensively, we ran the ball really well and got our passing game going,” Coach Michael said. “I was pleased with how Matthew Garber [quarterback] threw the ball and how our receivers hauled it in.”

The third quarter was scoreless for both teams, but the closing period was big for the Jays when they tallied two scores, the first of which came by junior Colin Menold from five yards out early in the fourth. Garber capped off a quick drive late in the game with a one-yard dash to the end zone to help extend his team’s lead. The Lions were held scoreless in the second half and Sabetha took the win, 39-7.

“Defensively, Minneapolis came out and ran a package we hadn’t seen before, but we read our keys and handled them the whole game,” Coach Michael said. “Special teams had another big night with the execution of a fake punt. There’s a lot of new faces on special teams, because they earned a spot or moved up on the depth chart. That makes us a lot better team.”

Sabetha took the win 39-7 against the Lions with senior Josh Herrmann leading the team in rushing with 127 yards, and Bauman logged 109 yards receiving with three catches. Junior kicker N. Menold was three of four in point-after-attempts. 

The Jays improved to 3-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big Seven and 1-0 in District play. Sabetha will take on their next district opponent in the 1-3 Riley County Falcons, who won their first game of the season against Royal Valley last Friday and will face their first district opponent in the Bluejays on Friday, Sept. 30, at Riley.

“Riley County has some size up front, hard nosed running backs and good athletes on the outside,” Coach Michael said. “We cannot turn the ball over and have great ball control. Stopping the run will be a big key in this game.”