SYLVAN GROVE-Brody Batchman rushed for 162 yards and four touchdowns and Zayne Maupin added three scores of his own as Sylvan-Lucas routed St. Francis 56-20 in 8-Man Division ll First Round playoff action Thursday evening at Weatherman Field.
After Sylvan-Lucas was forced to punt on its opening drive, St. Francis struck first on a 55-yard run by Layn Todd to give the visiting Indians a 6-0 lead after the two-point conversion failed. Sylvan-Lucas then answered on a seven yard run by Batchman but after the failed two-point try the score was knotted at 6-6. Todd then ripped off a 27-yard run for a score and this time the conversion was good to give St. Francis a 14-6 advantage after one quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Sylvan-Lucas as they outscored St. Francis 30-0. The barrage began on a fiveyard run by Maupin to tie the score 14-14 after the successful two-point play. Then Maupin hauled in a screen pass from Quarterback Lane Homewood and turned it into a 24-yard touchdown while breaking three tackles along the way to put the Mustangs in the lead for the first time at 22-14 after the two-point conversion. Batchman added another score from 11 yards out after a Connor Charvat interception set up Sylvan-Lucas in Indian territory and another two-point conversion swelled the lead to 30-14. The Mustangs then scored again just before halftime on a 17-yard pass from Homewood to Maupin and the score was 36-14 at intermission after the failed two-point play.
Sylvan-Lucas then used a nearly five-minute drive to score again in the third quarter when Batchman ran in from nine yards out and the two-point conversion made the score 44-14. Edtguin Sanchez then tallied St. Francis’ first points since the first quarter when he ran the ensuing kickoff back 70 yards for a score to pull the Indians to within 44-20 after the two-point conversion failed. Batchman’s fourth touchdown of the night from 30 yards out put Sylvan-Lucas back up 50-20 after three quarters.
The final Mustang tally of the night came in the fourth quarter when senior Casey Sigle who has battled injuries much of his high school career, scored from four yards out to put an exclamation point on the proceedings and provide the final margin of 56-20.
Nine different ball carriers combined to help Sylvan-Lucas gain 331 yards on the ground on their way to 427 yards of total offense. In addition to the 162 yards put up by Batchman, Maupin rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown and also caught four passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Homewood rushed for 64 yards on 16 carries and completed eight of 12 passes for 96 yards and two scores.
St. Francis (2-6) managed 243 yards of total offense, including 149 yards rushing, much of that accounted for by Todd in the first half.
Sylvan-Lucas (7-1) advances to the second round for the fifth time in the last six years and for the second year in a row. The Mustangs will travel to Minneola on Friday, November 3. The undefeated Wildcats had little trouble in their playoff opener on Thursday evening as they dispatched St. John 58-6.
Rawlings County/Atwood 36 Lincoln 32
Congratulations on a successful year!
