By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post
GARDEN CITY - Hays High resumed Western Athletic Conference play with one of the two teams they split the league championship with in 2021. The Indians traveled to Garden City Friday night, it was the Buffaloes first WAC game of the season. Hays beat Great Bend two weeks prior to open the conference schedule.
Hays took the opening drive of the game 91 yards on 10 plays and scored on a 4th down 11 yard run by Kyrese Groen. The Indian defense forced a three and out. The offense scored three plays later when Malik Bah broke off a 55 yard scoring run.
Connor Dreiling picked off a Garden City pass on the ensuing drive. Teegan Turnbull turned that drive into three points on a 25 yard field goal, his first make of the season and a 16-0 lead.
Highlights
The Indian defense forced another three and out and Wyatt Waddell picked off his WAC leading 4th pass of the season for the next two stops. The Garden City defense tightened up and kept Hays to a pair of punts. The Buffalo offense scored after the second of those punts on a run heavy 11 play 67 yard drive for a 16-7 score at halftime.
Bah threw a 70 yard touchdown pass to Trent Summers on the Indians first drive of the second half to build a 23-7 lead. Garden City responded by scoring on their next to possessions of the third quarter closing the gap down to 30-19. Two key plays occurred each of the scores. Evan Lind made tackle on Garden City's two point conversion try and Deondre Broom blocked an extra point.
Bah scored his second touchdown rush of the night on a three yard run for a 30-19 lead follwing the Turnbull extra point with 4:09 remaining. Garden City did score again but with no time left on the clock for a final of 30-26.
Coach Tony Crough
Hays improves to 3-1 on the year and 2-0 in the WAC. Garden City falls to 3-1, 0-1. It is the 25th of 62 games between the two teams decided by one possession.
Malik Bah ran for 206 yards and two scores. He threw for one score and 70 yards to Trent Summers. Kyreese Groen compiled 101 yards of offense and one rushing touchdown. Hays totaled 382 yards. Garden City had 320 yards, led by the 133 rushing yards of Zack Keosengphet.
Hays is in Ulysses next Friday.