5A West Playoffs: No. 2 Andover 51, No. 15 Salina South 21

The South Cougars hung tough with the talented Andover Trojans for one quarter, but that was not nearly enough to contend in the opening round of the Class 5A West Playoffs, as the hosts used a dominant second quarter to roll to a 51-21 victory.

Andover scored 21 seconds in when Ian Andalon’s fumble was returned 35 yards to paydirt by Josh Wolfe. But the Cougars came right back in two minutes. Weston Fries found Kaden Budke in the flat for a two-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.

The Trojans led 10-7 after one. Then on the first play of the second, Trojan tailback Max Middleton broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7. That began an avalanche of what would wind up being 44 straight points scored by Andover. They would lead 38-7 at the half and never look back.

Andover, a run-heavy team, got good production from the pass as well as the run game. South sputtered offensively in the second quarter and could not going again until late in the third. Fries hit Carter Copes for a 29-yard TD pass and Kayson Dietz found the endzone on a one-yard plunge to cap the scoring early in the fourth. Fries threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

The Cougars end the season at 1-8 overall.