By Brad Hallier
WICHITA, Kan. – The Buhler-McPherson rivalry went on the road to Riverfront Stadium in Wichita on Thursday, and it did not disappoint.
McPherson raced to a 21-point lead early and then held off a furious Buhler comeback to win 28-26.
Buhler finished with more yardage (405-319) and more first downs (17-13), and the turnover margin was even (2-2).
McPherson used a dominant opening 16 minutes in building a 28-7 lead. An offense that has struggled at times this season was flinging the ball all around the stadium like the 1999 St. Louis Rams. Owen Fetsch threw touchdown passes to Logan Roth from 27 yards, Blaise Hoover from 51 yards and Cory Muehler from 39 yards. Carlos German added a 1-yard touchdown run.
Buhler, however, hung in there with a couple of touchdowns. Quentin Pisano caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jeffrey Neill, who also ran for a 23-yard touchdown, as Buhler trailed 28-14 at halftime.
Buhler quickly added a touchdown in the third quarter, with Neill dropping a glorious 49-yard bomb to Tavion Gilliam. The extra-point kick was blocked however, and McPherson maintained a 28-20 lead. Ben Clouse’s 1-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 28-26, but the two-point conversion try failed.
Buhler had one final chance to capture the lead inside a minute to play, but a 22-yard field goal try by Neill was blocked by Teegan Haines.
Niell threw for a school-record 305 yards on 32 attempts. Fetsch finished 12-24 for 254 yards.
The win improved McPherson to 5-3 and dropped Buhler to 6-2. Both will host home playoff games next Friday. Buhler will be seeded first, second or third. McPherson will be seeded anywhere from fourth to seventh.
