ALTAMONT — Laying waste to the Bonner Springs Braves in the first round, the No. 2 seed Labette County Grizzlies won, 56-12, in the first round of the KSHSAA 4A playoffs on Friday night.
“I was proud of us coming out and being ready to play,” Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright said. “We knew what time of year it was and that was evident in how we played. We came out of the gates ready to play.”
Labette County threw the ball just eight times while rushing it 42. The Grizzlies amassed 295 yards on the ground, with Deontae Fields rushing for 158 and two scores on 18 touches.
“He had a really big second half,” Argabright said. “We ran the ball really well. I was proud of all of our runners. We had a lot of explosive plays. We got a lot of guys involved. We’re leaning heavily on our o-line and they’re making holes right now.”
Nolan Nash added six carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Nash also returned a fumble for a touchdown and caught two scores.
“We’ve always known Nolan is a really good player and he’s shining on the biggest stage,” Argabright said. “He’s playing at full speed for us right now. He’s just a great athlete and he’s starting to get the ball more. He’s seen an uptick in his load. We’re finding ways to get the ball in his hands. The more we do that, the better things go for us.”
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Labette County welcomes a familiar foe in the second round of the playoffs as co-SEK League champion Chanute comes back to town.
“Throw the records out. It’s playoff football,” Argabright said. “We’re both coming off playoff wins. The last few years, they’ve made deep runs. So they’re playoff savvy. For us, it’s all about preparation. If we take care of the football, we’ll be ready to play. The best part is we get to play at home.”
Labette County routed Chanute, 35-14, in a Week 8 showdown in Altamont. But Chanute is coming off a thrilling playoff win over Louisburg where two touchdowns were scored in the final 30 seconds.
“It’s all about stopping their quarterback,” Argabright said. “They can be balanced. But for us, it comes down to stopping the run. We have to align the right way on defense. We’ve got to win the game in the trenches. We want to play physical football and make sure we’re executing.”
