Conway Springs is victorious over Plainville 27-14, Inman is next

November 06, 2021 Cueball

Sophomore Brayden Kunz scores 3 touchdowns and rushes for 159 to lift Conway Springs to victory.

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Three first-half Plainville turnovers buoyed Conway Springs to a 27-14 victory in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs at Cardinal Stadium.

It now sets up a rematch with Inman, the No. 1 team in the Class 1A-west bracket, next weekend.

Conway Springs built a 21-0 first-half lead and scored one more touchdown midway through the third quarter to open up a 27-0 advantage. Plainville then rallied of sorts scoring on two consecutive possessions to pull within two touchdowns, 27-14.

The Cardinals were forced into a fourth-and-4 situation on the next possession with 5:50 play. After great deliberation in which both teams called timeout, Conway Springs went with the quick kick, giving Plainville the ball the Conway Springs 49 with two timeouts to spare.

The Conway Springs defense would stiffen forcing the run-eccentric Plainville offense to pass on a fourth-and-11 that fell incomplete. Conway Springs then used the legs of Braden Kunz to move all the way to the Plainville 1 and would end the game in victory formation.

“I told the boys at that timeout that we are going to win this game with defense, and that’s what they did,” said Matt Biehler, Conway Springs head football coach.

The win made the southern Cardinals regional champions for the second consecutive year after beating Plainville 14-7 in 2020. Conway Springs returns to the quarterfinals to play an Inman team that defeated defending state champion Oakley 56-16 Friday. The Teutons, state runner-ups in 2020, are ranked No. 2 in 1A and haven’t lost to anyone this season.

“We will be ready,” Biehler said. “Our boys know what is cut out for them this next week and they are playing their best ball of the season.”

But Conway Springs still has time to celebrate this one. Led behind the running of Kunz, who had 159 yards on 24 carries, the Cardinals used the clock to their advantage.

Izic Billups gets the first touchdown of the game on this 85-yard punt return.

After a scoreless first quarter, Plainville punted with Izic Billups deep. He returned the ball 85 yards for the score to give Conway Springs a 7-0 lead. Then later after Plainville was within 20 yards of a touchdown, it would cough the ball up for the first time. Conway Springs would make it pay with a sensational 5-play drive that was capped by a Kunz 5-yard touchdown run.

Trailing 14-0, Plainville would fumble again at the 30. That led to a sensational pass from Kunz, who threw the ball against the body to Kunz for a 24-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, Conway Springs would add another touchdown when Kunz scored again from the 5.

But then the game turned. Plainville scored for the first time on a quick drive that took a little more than two minutes. It was 27-7 going into the fourth quarter. Plainville held Conway Springs on its next drive and then marched downfield with help of a CS personal foul. Anders Dewey scored from the 4 and it was 27-14 with 8:27 to play.

Conway Springs garnered six positive yards on the next possession that set up the final sequence.

“Kunz was a beast tonight and the offensive line did really well,” Biehler said.