Broncbusters roll No. 6 Coffeyville

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Coffeyville, KS-On Saturday night, Garden City put the Jayhawk Conference and the rest of the nation on high alert.  

Rhett Ricedorff took it to another level, completing 20-of-26 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown, William Knight tallied 134 yards on the ground and two scores, and the Broncbusters annihilated No. 6 Coffeyville, 39-11 at Veteran's Memorial Stadium. Garden City, which beat Coffeyville for the sixth straight time, has now only allowed 25 points in their last three meetings.

"I'm very proud of these guys," Head Coach, Tom Minnick said. "This was a complete-team win. We just had to put everything together, and tonight, we did that."

The offense, which demoralized Dodge City two weeks ago, had Coffeyville's defense on skates with a short, quick passing attack coupled with a powerful ground game. The result: 498 total yards including 302 through the air, their second most in a game this season.

"Our offensive line played really well," Minnick explained. "When you give the quarterback time to go through his progressions; when you give your running backs lanes to run, everything becomes a little easier. Our guys did that. They played a really clean game."

While the offensive numbers jump off the page, it was Aaron Cheatwood's defense that really set the tone. They limited the Red Ravens-the nation's 10^th most prolific unit, to just 252 yards (most of that came in the final quarter when the game had already been decided). For better context, Garden City outgained Coffeyville 357-62 through the first 30 minutes, absolutely demoralizing a true national championship contender.

"We know what this team is capable of," Minnick added. "We just had to go out and show it."

Coffeyville never knew what hit them, and when Ricedorff connected with Devion Hodges in the end zone on a 15-yard post on Garden City's opening drive, the Red Ravens' lead man, Jeff Leiker, who coached the Broncbusters from 1992-95, for the first time this season, looked lost. His defensive game plan was dissected perfectly by Ryan Felker, who took advantage of soft coverages and light boxes. A good coordinator keeps them guessing, and it started on the first play from scrimmage when Ricedorff executed a perfect play-action fake before dropping a dime to Shawn Charles, who wiggled free for a 57-yard gain.

"Rhett was on point and made quick decisions," Minnick stated. "He knew exactly where to go with the football and took what the defense gave him."

After Coffeyville punted on their first possession, Garden City went for the throat. Knight was the workhorse, carrying the ball seven times on the drive for 62 yards. And on third-and-1 from the Red Ravens' 43, the University of Delaware transfer turned on the jets, powering his way 43 yards to the end zone for a 13-0 lead. In fact, the only real drama of the night happened on the ensuing point-after attempt, which Zahquan Fraizer blocked and returned down the left sideline for two points. Other than that, it was all brown and gold.

"Our coaches did a really good job of attacking their tendencies," Minnick said.

The Red Ravens only other score in the first half came late in the first quarter when Garden City was pinned inside their own 2. On 1^st-and-10, Dedrick Talbert couldn't escape the grasp of Joseph Backhole and Reise Collier, who combined to drop the tailback in the end zone for a safety. But Coffeyville immediately gave the ball back on the free kick when Bryce Childress coughed up the wobbly spiral, and Javier Morton recovered at the Red Ravens' 44.

"We minimized our mistakes, which is a big reason we were able to jump on them early," Minnick said.

It also helped that Cheatwood's unit was opportunistic, and when Coffeyville got the ball back at their own 48 late in the opening period, Chris Smith scooped up Star Thomas's fumble and returned it 12 yards to the Red Ravens' 28. Two plays later, Hodges found a crease and raced 18 yards to the end zone for a 19-3 advantage (William Greig missed the extra point).  

"You just can't give teams hope," Minnick added. "I thought too many times early in the season, we did that."

On this night, Garden City extinguished any chance of a Red Raven resurrection. Matthew Purnell's one-yard dance across the goal line capped off a six-play, 82-yard drive that included a 67-yard dart from Ricedorff to Keyshawn Buckley two minutes into the second quarter. Talbert added a 17-yard rushing touchdown later in the frame, and the Broncbusters had a 32-4 halftime edge.

"Our guys pushed all the right buttons tonight," Minnick said. "But we still have a long way to go."

The Broncbuster defense smothered Coffeyville in the second half forcing a three-and-out on their first possession and a turnover on their next. Wembley Mailei picked off a desperation heave by Jakson Thomson and returned it 12 yards to the Coffeyville 37. On the very next play, Knight scampered around left end, outracing the Red Ravens' defense to the end zone, putting the road team up 39-4 with 9:33 remaining in the third.

"We'll enjoy this one tonight, and then we'll focus on Butler," Minnick said.

Buckley caught four balls for 109 yards for Garden City, which improved to 4-0 on the road this season. Smith tallied five tackles and a fumble recovery, and Kentucky-transfer Xavier Peters recorded two of the Broncbusters' five sacks.

Thomson, who transferred to Coffeyville from Louisiana Tech, and before that was a three-star recruit out of Lake Highlands High School who set records for single-season completions, touchdown passes and yards, was bruised and battered, finishing the night just 12-of-33 for 96 yards and a pick. His team was limited to just 63 yards rushing on 31 carries.

Next up: Garden City vs. Butler, Saturday, Oct. 30-1 p.m.