The senior back ran the ball 23 times for 164 yards and six touchdowns as the Indians dismantled Dodge City 55-0 in the first round of the 6A playoffs.

For the Demons, it was a night filled with inconsistency on offense, which accounted for 82 total yards and zero third or fourth down conversions throughout the entire game.

The game had an inauspicious beginning for DCHS, as junior quarterback Taylor Murphy threw an interception on third down to set Manhattan up with excellent field position on the Demon 30-yard line.

Dodge would force the Indians to go for it twice for it on fourth down during that short drive, but the second conversion turned out to be a one-yard scoring plunge from Suggs, which wouldn’t be the first time.

On the ensuing possession, Dodge went three and out, a theme that became all too common throughout the contest.

With the Demons down seven and having to punt, the game shifted from bad to worse as Manhattan would scoop up the kick off the bounce and weave their way for a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown, beeming with confidence and a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Burton from Manhattan would make it back-to-back heartbreaking drives for the Indians as he would connect on a 51-yard pitch and catch deep downfield on third and 20 to give the home team a dominant 21-0 lead with just over two minutes to go in the opening period.

With their backs against the wall, Dodge was forced to go for it on fourth down during their next possession, failing to pick up the first down and giving the ball to Manhattan on their own 40-yard line. Six plays later and Suggs was in for his second score of the night and a 28-0 lead.

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The winner of the Dodge City versus Manhattan contests will play the winner of the Wichita Northwest versus Derby contest next Friday Night.

Game Night Details

• Location: Bishop Stadium – Manhattan (see map below)
• Game Time: 7:00
• Admission: $5 Adults, $4 Students [No passes will be accepted, per KSHSAA playoff regulations.]

Series History
Friday night will mark the eleventh time these teams have met on the gridiron. The Red Demons trail in the overall series with three wins versus seven losses. The teams have met five times in the regular season and five times in the post-season. The teams first met in 1974, a regular season contest won by the Indians. The Demons defeated Manhattan for their first win in the series in 1985 on their way to the 6A State Championship game. The Demons then defeated Manhattan the following regular season at Memorial Stadium, 21-19. The teams played in consecutive seasons from 1983-1989, with ‘89 being the last time the teams have met before last year’s Sectional Playoff game, won by the Demons 41-20.

Dodge City and Garden City went into Friday night’s slugfest with 2-0 district records, with the winner claiming their right to a home playoff game next week in round one.

Demon head coach Dave Foster addresses his squad after the game.

The game started out as a slobberknocker between the two squads, trading blows, but never breaking.

Early Demon miscues cost Dodge early on, with a combination of false start penalties and mistimed snaps. An early DCHS punt gave Garden field position around midfield and after an unfortunate fumble by Buffalo quarterback Jake Curran actually advanced the ball forward ten yards, Garden City punched it in from one-yard out to give the home team a 6-0 lead.

Dodge City would drive back down the field on the next drive and challenge the Buffalo defense, but stalled inside of the ten-yard line, settling for a field goal to reduce the deficit to 6-3.

Once again, after a Garden City stop, Dodge drove down the length of the field but could not punch it in the endzone, notching another field goal to tie the game at six right before halftime.

As the teams came back onto the field for the second half, it was more of the same story for both sides, which saw stalled drives and stagnant offenses.

The Demons pulled ahead on a 43-yard field goal, prompting the Dodge faithful to rise up and cheer loudly for their team.

The score would remain 9-6 until deep into the fourth quarter.

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Coupled with a Garden City victory, the Demons are secured a spot in the 6A playoffs and will face-off with the Buffaloes next week for not only the coveted “Hatchet,” but for the right to call themselves district champions and host a first round game.

Daily Globe Photo

DCHS jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a touchdown pass from Taylor Murphy and a short scoring plunge from Parker Davis, one of his three rushing touchdowns on the night.

For a defense that has been suspect throughout the middle portion of the season, they have been nothing short of dominant during these past two wins for Dodge.

The Demons did not allow a first down to the Eagles throughout the entire first half while cushioning their lead.

Maize just couldn’t matchup with the Demon offense, allowing chunks of yardage, as DCHS average just under six yards per play for the ballgame.

As a unit, the Demons outgained Maize 426-274 and ran 16 more offensive plays than the Eagles.

Dodge was actually led by Damien Salem, who rushed the ball seven times for 111 yards and one long scoring run in which he broke several tackles while tip-toeing the sidelines.

Not far behind Salem was the starter Davis, who finished with 19 carries for 103 yards and the three scores, all coming from close distance.

Through the air, Murphy was 17-of-22 for 170 yards and two touchdowns, including a second half toss to Trey Hallman.

Leading the team in receiving was Jordan Doan, who hauled in six catches for 45 yards, while Hallman had five grabs for 45 yards and the touchdown.

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Just one week after allowing a season high in rushing yards, the Dodge City High School football team quickly put the clamps on a Goddard team with outstanding speed.

The Demons jumped on the Lions early and put the game away with tough, physical running in the second half to defeat Goddard 33-14 and move to 1-0 in district play.

One area of concern going into this game was the defense, but they stepped up tonight as a cohesive unit to shut down any momentum Goddard had on their side.

Case and point, with the Lions driving in the first quarter, they reached into their bag of tricks and utilized a halfback pass, only to have it intercepted by Jonathan Taylor and kill the drive for Goddard.

Dodge City capitalized on the home team’s mistake as Taylor Murphy would rumble 33 yards into the endzone to give the Demons an early 6-0 lead.

After trading blows for the next quarter, DCHS took advantage of a -1 yard punt by the Lions as they drove down and Parker Davis powered his way in on fourth and goal from the two to extend that lead at halftime to 13-0.

Despite fumbling the ball on the opponent’s two early in the third quarter, the Mad Hatters on defense refused to give any ground to a Goddard team known for their misdirection and trickery.

After another stop gave the ball back to Dodge at around midfield, Murphy and Davis once again used the zone read beautifully, as Davis burst through a crease in the defense and bolted past the Lion defense for a 38-yard touchdown.

Another fantastic stop on defense allowed the Demon offense to set up shop with good field position. Isaiah Bradshaw made his biggest catch of the night on this drive, a 15 yard pitch and catch which moved the ball down to the Goddard 35. That set up Murphy, running the zone read once again, who gashed the Lions for a 35-yard touchdown scamper.

At the end of three, Dodge City could breathe a sigh of relief as they could set the rest of the game on cruise control being up 25-0.

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Using a solid and unexpected rushing attack, the Great Bend Panthers defeated the Demons 28-7 Friday night at Great Bend.

The Panthers, who ranked last in the Western Athletic Conference with 294 yards rushing, put up 286 on the ground alone against DCHS.

Josh Lopez led the way for the Panther ground attack with 24 carries, over 150 yards and three of the team’s four touchdowns.

Dodge City, which came into the game with one of the most potent offenses in the conference, managed to gain only 40 yards rushing, with star back Parker Davis held to 10 yards on six carries.

The game did not start off well for the Demons, who went go three-and-out four times in four possessions. On the fourth possession, Dodge went for it on fourth and three and completed it, but an illegal procedure penalty wiped out the first down.

After a scoreless first quarter, Great Bend started a drive from its own one-yard line, and a Lopez 38-yard scamper put the Panthers near midfield. Lopez would finish off the 99-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown burst up the middle, a play the Demons could not stop.

The next possession Dodge City had momentum and the ball moving toward the Great Bend side of the field, when a Davis fumble gave the ball right back to the Panthers. The score would remain 7-0 at the half.

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The Dodge City High School football program will travel to Great Bend to take on the Panthers this Friday night in a key WAC contest. DCHS is coming off of a 30-7 defeat of Liberal in the conference opener for the Red Demons. Great Bend lost to Wichita Heights, a week after a conference opening win at Garden City by a score of 14-12.

Game Night Details
Location: Great Bend High School (map below)
Game Time: 7:00
Admission: $5 Adults, $3 Students [Staff passes will be accepted]

Series History
The Red Demons have faced the Panthers (83) times, dating back to the 1907 season. The series is led by the Demons 53-28-2. The Red Demons ended a ten game losing streak to the Panthers last season winning by a score of (31-14) at Memorial Stadium. The streak was the longest winning streak in the series since the Red Demons won eleven straight contests from 1984-1994. The last time the Red Demons defeated the Panthers in Great Bend was the 1999 season.

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