Pouncing early in the first round of the KSHSAA 4A playoffs, the Chanute Blue Comets put away the Paola Panthers, 44-14, on Friday night.
“It was big for us. We saw some film on Paola and we felt like they weren’t your typical 1-7 team, so we wanted to get out to a hot start,” Chanute head coach Clete Frazell said. “They were scary if they got going. So we wanted to get some points on the board and get an early lead. The goal was to start hot and start physically. We put the doubt in their head early that they didn’t have a chance.”
Chanute nearly averaged a point per play, scoring 44 on 47 offensive plays. Kris Harding II threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns with one pick on 10-of-15 passing.
Quinton Haridng added 99 rushing yards on 15 carries while Chanute’s offense tallied 191 yards total on the ground.
“The offensive line did a good job and we established the run game, and Kris threw the ball well,” Frazell said. “We saw a bit of a different defense than what we thought we’d see. But we adjusted well and the kids handled the changes. Kris managed the offense and got the ball where it needed to go. Quinton got downhill and our offense was moving up and down the field.”
Two games removed from an overtime loss to Pittsburg, the Blue Comets’ defense has limited its last two opponents to 20 points. Paola was held to 152 yards of total offense while the Blue Comets had three takeaways.
“We didn’t handle Pittsburg’s triple option well because we didn’t handle our responsibilities. We weren’t assignment sound,” Frazell said. “When we face an offense that doesn’t have a ton of options — when one kid has the ball, he has it — we’ve handled it well. We’ve been better against teams that play newer-age football.”
Up next
Chanute will face Ottawa (6-3) in the second round of the playoffs at home on Friday. It’s all meat-and-potatoes from this point as only one team left in the bracket — Bishop Miege — has a winning record.
“They’re a tough team that presents some challenges that are different from most teams,” Frazell said. “They really want to throw the ball and they’re a really athletic team. It’s going to be a fun one. We have to be able to get after their quarterback and not let him get comfortable. We’ll have to be the more physical team and go right at them. We have a good shot of winning the game if we do that. They want to make it a track meet. We’ve got to be disciplined.”
