ALTAMONT — Second-seeded Labette County, which lets any and all through its doors, fell to private school powerhouse Bishop Miege, a school that closes its doors to kids it doesn’t want, in the semifinals of the KSHSAA 4A football playoffs on Friday night, 37-7.
It’s the second year in a row Labette County’s gridiron campaign was ended by Bishop Miege and served as a punctuation for the best season in the Grizzlies’ history.
“I’m proud of this program this year,” Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright said. “I’m proud of how far we’ve come. This group made history all year long. We fell short of our goal of trying to make it to the state championship game. But that has no bearing on our effort and attitude and the way we played. At the start of the year, a lot of people thought we wouldn’t play very well. But we rose to the occasion throughout the season. This was a great group to coach.”
Labette County was limited to 97 yards of total offense in the loss.
The Grizzlies approached the red zone twice in the first quarter, but failed to put points on the board.
“We had a couple of drives early where we were able to move and get first downs,” Argabright said. “Once we got inside the 25, Miege’s defense really stiffened up. Their defense is a class above and really stepped up when they needed to. They made it tough on first downs. It would’ve been nice to capitalize on those drives. But I was happy with how we came out. We were right in it midway through the second quarter.”
With the score knotted at nil-nil through 18 minutes, Bishop Miege scored two touchdowns and a field goal as the first half wound down to put the Grizzlies at arm’s length.
“We ran out of gas,” Argabright said. “They don’t have any guys that play both ways. We have seven or eight guys that do that. So their offense wore us down and they put up some points that changed the momentum of the game.”
Deontae Fields accounted for the Grizzlies’ lone score on a kickoff return late in the second stanza.
“It was a huge momentum play for us,” Argabright said. “Deontae hit a seam and it was a huge play. Miege came right back out and scored, though. If we could’ve gotten to the half down seven instead of 17, it would’ve been a different game. We would’ve wanted a chance to try and tie that game.”
Bishop Miege were the heavy favorites entering Friday night’s slogged affair. Argabright had a gameplan of trying to shorten the game and be opportunistic.
“We had to try and run the ball and milk the clock,” Argabright said. “I don’t want to say we wanted to play keepaway. But we had to sustain drives and keep Miege’s offense off the field. Some three-and-outs really killed us. And getting down 14 points got us out of what we wanted to do. We had to take some chances in the air to move the ball, and that’s out of our element.”
KSHSAA multiplier stalled out in Kansas Legislature
The SEK League champions in both major fall sports, football and volleyball, had their seasons ended by Bishop Miege this year. Miege took down top-seeded Chanute in the semifinals of sub-state, while Labette County fell on Friday.
KSHSAA has a multiplier mandated by its member schools that would bump schools like Bishop Miege up a class, but it sits in limbo as the Kansas State Legislature refuses to change a law that would allow the association to enact it.
Bishop Miege will face Kapaun Mt. Carmel, another private school, in the state championship.
“This has happened to us a couple of times and our girls basketball team as well,” Argabright said. “I would love to see a multiplier happen in our state. But at the same time, we’ve got to play by the rules set in front of us. We’ll do that to the best of our ability. Eventually, you’ll have to see Miege unless something is done at the legislative level. It’s one of those things that’s out of our hands. Next week, it’s going to be a private-versus-private state championship. It’s out of our hands.”
Argabright voiced his support for the multiplier that KSHSAA passed, which Labette County voted in favor of a few years ago.
“We need a fair, competitive advantage,” Argabright said. “Bishop Miege plays a 5A and 6A schedule. That’s who they should play in the playoffs. It doesn’t feel like it’s right where they come down to play 4A schools. We want to see them play the classification they’re in all year long.”
Looking ahead
Labette County’s season ended with a 9-3 overall record, an SEK League, regional and sectional titles, and the school’s first-ever berth to the state semifinals.
“It’s one of those things where this group was never fazed with adversity,” Argabright said. “This group is the first one to win two playoff games at Labette County. And it’s the deepest run they’ve ever had. Once we beat Pittsburg this year, that propelled us to believing we can do some big things this year. We beat Chanute twice and that’s a testament to believing in what we’re capable of. Getting it done against Ottawa, that was our best game. And we played it at the perfect time.”
As the Grizzlies racked up program- firsts and more hardware, Argabright never saw the lights freeze his roster.
“After the Ottawa game, we had finally done something that nobody had done before,” Argabright said. “You’re remembered in sports for how far you go. When everybody is playing for their lives, that’s what you’re remembered for. We hung a bunch of banners this year. But nothing ever hit this group when something great happened. They were always focused on the next game.”
Labette County brings back a solid corps that includes Fields and quarterback Aaron Wyrick. Seniors Nolan Nash, Kegan Bates, Mikel Reed, Mason Hoppes and Jamaal Jackson will be among the most missed.
Reinforcing the line is Argabright’s biggest challenge in the offseason.
“We’ve got to hit the weights big time,” Argabright said. “We have to establish a line. We’ve got to find guys in the trenches. We lose some really good linemen. So we’ve got to develop some guys so they can block the way we need them to. I feel like we have some guys that are ready to go. They need some game reps. But we also have to find some. Everybody will battle for those positions. They’ll have to take some big leaps. They know we had a great season. The bar has been set, now.”
Sean Frye/Sun photos ABOVE: Mikel Reed of the Labette County Grizzlies hugs head coach Bradley Argabright after Friday night’s state semifinal loss to the Bishop Miege Stags. RIGHT: Kegan Bates of the Labette County Grizzlies celebrates after an interception during Friday’s state semifinal loss to the Bishop Miege Stags in Altamont.
