By Ernie W. Webb III
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Both were on display Friday night after Little River’s 48-24 win at Madison in an Eight-Man Division I sub-state game.
As Little River (10-2) celebrated their fourth straight impressive postseason win on one end of the field, Madison senior Hunter Engle walked to the 35-yard line, dropped to his knees and touched the large M blanketing midfield on the Bulldogs’ home field. A few yards away, Coach Alex McMillian crouched, his head facing down, trying to piece together the words to comfort his team.
“Ending a season never gets any easier, but at the end of the day, we still had a great season,” McMillian said. “This senior class is so special. They’ve done everything I’ve ever asked of them and did it with class. That’s all you can ask as a coach.”
Madison (11-1) reached sub-state for the second straight season after upsetting defending state champion Canton-Galva, a team Little River lost to, 56-38, on Oct. 2. But it was Little River’s turn to play spoiler, as they’ve done throughout the playoffs.
After demolishing Washington County 56-0 in the opening round, Little River avenged its only other loss with a 46-26 win against Clifton-Clyde, then advanced to sub-state with a 70-26 victory over Chase County. The win against Madison extended the school’s winning streak to seven. Little River will play Leoti-Wichita County (12-0) for the state championship next Saturday.
“It’s a very emotional feeling winning a sub-state game,” Little River coach Kevin Ayers said. “There is a lot of sacrifice in the process. Sacrifice from players, coaches, parents, teachers, administration, and really our whole small-town community.
“When you have some much invested, and it all comes together, your heart kind of overflows with gratitude, and it makes you thankful. I think especially this year, with all that’s going on in our world and the extra weight that we all carry, it was even more emotional.”
Fast starts have been the common thread in Little River’s run, and that was case Friday. Using a steady diet of seniors Jayden Garrison and Graham Stephens, Little River drove 57 yards in nine plays on the opening possession to take a 6-0 lead. Stephens capped the series with a 3-yard run.
Madison, which pummeled Canton-Galva’s defense in the fourth quarter while running clock, struggled in the first half. The Bulldogs threatened on their first series, but Little River came up with a fourth-down stop at their own 29.
“Offensively, we wanted to use our option to neutralize Madison’s talent at the defensive end,” Ayers said. “We also felt the QB draw would give us an opportunity to use Garrison’s ability in space. On the defensive side of the ball, we decided to just be us and do what we do. Our kids needed to be very disciplined and take care of the their job and play with a high level of intensity.”
Seven plays later, Little River pushed the lead to 12-0 when Garrison, who finished with 214 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries, broke loose for a 17-yard jaunt.
“Garrison is a special player, probably one of the best players in the state,” McMillian said. “We knew we had to slow him down. Little River outplayed us.”
One of the turning points came on Madison’s next possession. The Bulldogs marched from their own 21 deep into Little River territory. But a fumble on a 10-yard run that would have been a first down ended the drive early in the second quarter.
Little River capitalized with an eight-play, 65-yard drive to build a 20-0 lead midway through the period. The big play on the series was a 31-yard pass from Garrison to Keaton Richardson. Garrison scored easily on a 1-yard plunge, and Stephens add the conversion on a run.
“After we gained the lead, we leaned on our offensive line and our fullback (Stephens) to make first downs and chew up the clock.”
Madison had a chance to cut the deficit at the end of the half, driving inside Little River’s 20-yard line, but the Bulldogs couldn’t finish the drive and went scoreless in the opening two quarters for the first time this season.
“I thought offensively we beat ourselves,” McMillian said. “Penalties and turnovers really put us in a hole early. It’s hard to win football games like that, especially against a quality opponent at the sub-state level.”
The second half started as well for Little River as the first half when Madison fumbled and lost a squib kick at the Bulldogs’ 26. Garrison scored two plays later on a 25-yard run, and Stephens gave Little River a 28-0 lead with the conversion less than a minute into the third quarter.
Madison finally broke through on their next series, driving 52 yards. Brome Rayburn spun out of one tackle and broke another inside the 5 during a 19-yard run for a touchdown. A conversion run pulled the Bulldogs within 28-8 early in the second half.
Madison then recovered the ensuing onside kick and appeared to have the momentum. But Little River stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down and regained a four-possession (34-8) lead moments later on Garrison’s 14-yard run at the 5:44 mark.
Madison cut the deficit to 18 on their next series when quarterback Casey Helm connected with Rayburn on a 28-yard scoring strike and Helm’s run, but Garrison answered late in the third quarter with a 36-yard touchdown run. Little River put the game away early in the fourth when Garrison hit Braxton Lafferty on a 60-yard pass to set up that duo’s 10-yard touchdown connection. Stephens’ conversion gave Little River an insurmountable 48-16 advantage.
The Bulldogs’ final score came on a 23-yard run by Engle, who rushed for 76 yards on 10 carries to lead Madison. Ryan Wolgram added the conversion to account for the final margin.
“(The senior class) played the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” McMillian said. “I’m so proud of them and everything they’ve done for the Madison Bulldog football program.”
Little River had 398 total yards, including 271 rushing on 44 carries. In addition to 214 yards on the ground, Garrison completed 4 of 6 passes for 109 yards. Lafferty had three receptions for 78 yards, while Stephens rushed for 53 yards on 14 attempts.
“I think the two losses were good for us. They drive you to get better,” Ayers said. “Good teams expose your weaknesses, and you grow from that. After Clifton-Clyde beat us in overtime, we talked about how it might just be the best thing to happen to us.
“I also think through those challenges, our team has grown closer, our team chemistry is better, and we are better equipped to handle the adversity that comes our way.”
Madison had 347 total yards, including 105 on 6-of-12 passing from Helm. Rayburn had 55 yards rushing and 49 receiving, Wolgram 51 yards rushing on five carries and Bryson Turner 37 yards on six attempts.
LITTLE RIVER 48, MADISON 24
Little River 12 8 20 8 — 48
Madison 0 0 16 8 — 24
First Quarter
Little River – Stephens 3 run (Pass failed)
Little River – Garrison 17 run (Run failed)
Second Quarter
Little River – Garrison 1 run (Stephens run)
Third Quarter
Little River – Garrison 25 run (Stephens run)
Madison – Rayburn 19 run (Helm run)
Little River – Garrison 14 run (Run failed)
Madison – Rayburn 28 pass from Helm (Helm run)
Little River – Garrison 36 run (Pass failed)
Fourth Quarter
Little River – Lafferty 10 pass from Garrison (Stephens run)
Madison – Engle 23 run (Wolgram run)
TEAM STATISTICS
Team Little River Madison
Rushes-Yds 41-271 41-242
Passing Yds 127 105
Passing 5-7-0 6-12-0
Total Yds 398 347
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 4-3
Penalties 2-21 5-41
Punts 1-49 1-37
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Little River – Stephens 26-214, Stephens 14-53, Braden Young 1-4. Madison – Engle 10-76, Rayburn 13-55, Wolgram 5-51, Turner 6-37, Helm 7-23.
RECEIVING: Little River – Lafftery 3-78, Richardson 2-49, Stephens 1-18. Madison – Rayburn 2-49, Drew Stutesman 3-43, Engle 1-13.
PASSING: Little River – Garrison 4-6-0 109, Stephens 1-1-0 18. Madison – Helm 6-12-0 105.