By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift gave his team high marks for its performance in Friday's 53-8 United Kansas Conference win over city rival Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park.
Shawnee Heights junior Aiden Scott (14) threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 53-8 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Tyren Parker (1) hauls in a 21-yard touchdown pass in the T-Birds' 53-8 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Swift was also quick to give Trey Parker's Topeka West team kudos for its play.
"I would have to give credit to Topeka West,'' said Swift, whose T-Birds improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the UKC. "I thought that was a well-planned game plan on both sides of the ball. I thought offensively they were able to take the ball out of our hands and they were able to make some movement and defensively they put a lot of pressure on us and made us have to respond and I thought we did.
"I just told the kids, 'Probably the difference in this game is we were able to finish drives and we were able to hold them off on their drives.' But from where we played Topeka West Week 7 last year to where they are now, they're a much improved team. That's a credit to coach Parker and that buy-in right there. I don't know if the score necessarily indicates how good of a game that was.''
Topeka West (0-2 overall, 0-2 UKC) put together several sustained drives, reaching the Heights 32-yard-line, the 40, the 26 and the 25 in the first half, but the Shawnee Heights defense came up with stops when it needed to, keeping the Chargers off the scoreboard en route to opening up a 25-0 halftime advantage.
"For us it's just a matter of learning how to execute,'' Parker said. "We feel like we can move the ball and we look good moving the ball. We did it last week as well, but then we get in that red zone and teams tend to tighten up and we just can't execute. It's just a matter of making the right plays at the necessary times.''
Shawnee Hights junior quarterback Aiden Scott topped the 300-yard passing mark for the second straight week, completing 14 of 26 pass attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns -- 21 yards to junior Tyren Parker, 42 yards to junior AJ Gallegos and 74 yards to sophomore Christian Labrador.
"All my wide receivers are getting open and I'm going to feed them the ball,'' Scott said. "They run hard. They run hard in practice and what you do in practice translates to the game.''
Sophomore Christian Labrador (27) scored a pair of touchdowns in Shawnee Heights' 53-8 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Labrador rushed for 96 yards and a TD on 11 attempts while David Wakes had 75 yards on nine attempts and sophomore Trone Purvis rushed for 39 yards on seven carries and scored a pair of TDs.
Labrador and Purvis got the most extensive action of their careers.
"Sophomores and they got their opportunity tonight and they made the most of it,'' Swift said. "Trone, Christian, they ran hard and it's nice when you have a three-headed backfield when you add David in the mix, too.''
Scott agreed.
"Christian and Trone, I have the utmost respect and trust in them,'' Scott said. "If they call a running play I believe they're going to take the ball and get as much yardage as they can.''
Parker also had a pair of pass interceptions while senior Sa'javeion Ward and sophomore Dallas Owens also picked off passes.
Topeka West got its lone touchdown with 8:20 remaining on a 20-yard TD pass from freshman quarterback Josiah Wilke to senior Alesecio Batson. Senior Treyvion Barr ran for the 2-point conversion.
Shawnee Heights will host Basehor-Linwood in a UKC contest next Friday while Topeka West will play a UKC game at Seaman.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 53, TOPEKA WEST 8
Shawnee Heights (1-1, 1-0) 12 13 14 14 -- 53
Topeka West (0-2, 0-2) 0 0 0 8 -- 8
Shawnee Heights -- Parker 21 pass from Scott (kick blocked)
Shawnee Heights -- Wakes 11 run (kick blocked)
Shawnee Heights -- Gallegos 42 pass from Scott (kick blocked)
Shawnee Heights -- Labrador 74 pass from Scott (Granado kick)
Shawnee Heights -- Labrador 5 run (Granado kick)
Shawnee Heights -- Scott 4 run (Granado kick)
Shawnee Heights -- Purvis 2 run (Granado kick)
Topeka West -- Batson 20 pass from Wilke (Barr run)
Shawnee Heights -- Purvis 1 run (Granado kick)
