The Caney Valley Bullpups opened the Class 2A playoffs in dominant fashion Thursday night, rolling past visiting No. 15 seed Jayhawk-Linn 66-6 to continue their unbeaten season.
After Jayhawk-Linn picked up a first down on its opening possession, the Bullpups forced the visitors to punt on fourth-and-17. Caney Valley scored on the first play of its opening drive, as Jace Buckley took a handoff and raced 41 yards for a touchdown.
Traxcyn Garton added two more scores from short distance, increasing the Bullpups’ lead to 24 midway through the first quarter as the offensive line continued opening up gaping holes for the rushing attack.
The front line then gave Layne Denny enough time to launch a deep pass to Konner Paulie, who adjusted to make the catch, ducked under a would-be tackler and dove toward the goal line while dragging another defender with him. The touchdown marked Paulie’s fourth receiving score in the last three games.
With a 32-0 lead after the first quarter, Boone White provided the Bullpups’ longest rushing play of the night, slaloming through the Jayhawk-Linn defense for a 63-yard touchdown.
With a sizable lead, head coach Criss Davis took the opportunity to test the kicking game by bringing in freshman Lane Wheatley. Wheatley went 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts and came within feet of converting a 44-yard field goal. Davis says Wheatley has done a great job in the kicking game, contributing on kickoffs, extra-point attempts and field goal tries.
A 52-0 halftime lead allowed several younger players to see the field during the final 24 minutes, while upperclassmen watched from the sidelines after celebrating senior night less than a week earlier. Fourteen seniors were recognized in Week 8, and Davis says 12 of them have been with the program since their freshman year, and it's been great to see how much they have grown. He also says they've been great leaders and mentors throughout the year.
Jayhawk-Linn managed to add a touchdown on a long run by sophomore quarterback Londonn Burk. Davis says Burk was a player the Bullpups knew they would need to keep an eye on heading into the matchup.
Caney Valley finished with its highest point total of the season, surpassing 60 points for the third time this year. The Bullpups will return to action next Friday in sectionals against the winner of Baxter Springs and Royal Valley, as the 7-seeded Lions and 10-seeded Panthers face off tomorrow at 6:00 pm.
