The Olpe Eagles continued their impressive season Thursday night, rolling past the Northeast Arma Vikings 49-13 in a playoff matchup to advance to the next round. Olpe’s balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive performance proved too much for the Vikings as the Eagles improved to 7-2 on the season.
Olpe wasted little time getting the offense rolling, jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead. Ryker Windle connected with Drew Ritchie on a 22-yard touchdown pass with 7:30 remaining in the opening quarter. Trey Lienemann added a 3-yard touchdown run at the 5:03 mark, followed by Abbott Bailey’s 5-yard scoring run with 3:09 left in the quarter.
The Eagles extended their advantage to 28-0 early in the second quarter when Windle found Breckon McGuire for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 11:46 remaining. Northeast Arma answered with its first score of the night as Jackson Payne connected with Tegan Mitchell on a 34-yard touchdown pass at the 8:45 mark, cutting the deficit to 28-6.
Olpe quickly responded, as Ritchie found the end zone on a 9-yard touchdown run with 7:18 remaining in the first half, sending the Eagles into halftime with a commanding 35-6 lead.
The Eagles continued to pull away in the third quarter. Lincoln Smith scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 9:14 remaining to make it 42-6. Just under three minutes later, Ritchie made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, returning an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to extend Olpe’s lead to 49-6.
Northeast Arma added one more score late in the third quarter when Payne connected with Camryn Stansbury on a 34-yard touchdown pass with 3:25 remaining, accounting for the final score of 49-13.
Olpe controlled the game on the ground, finishing with 344 rushing yards. Bailey led the Eagles with an impressive 157 yards rushing, while the Eagles’ ability to consistently move the ball kept the Northeast Arma defense under pressure throughout the night. Through the air, Windle completed 7 of 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Olpe’s Head Coach Chris Schmidt had mixed emotions on the victory.
Defensively, Olpe limited the Vikings to minus-63 yards rushing. Payne completed 10 of 24 passes for 99 yards, as the Eagles’ defense consistently made it difficult for Northeast Arma to establish its offensive rhythm.
The Eagles will face the winner of Valley Heights or Wabaunsee, who play Friday.
Other Area Scores
MDCV 82 Chase 51
Axtell 62 Hartford 0
Hutchinson Central Christian 54 Madison 14
Chase County 56 Solomon 6
Canton Galva 36 Lyndon 30
