The Sabetha Bluejays advanced to the Sectional Round of the 2A playoffs as they used a 21-point 4^th quarter to rally past the Silver Lake Eagles, 28-16, in the Regional Round on Friday at CJ Hamilton Field in Silver Lake.

Both teams struggled to gain traction on offense in the first quarter, but Silver Lake was able to break up the goose eggs on the scoreboard in the second stanza with an 11 play, 77 yard drive, capped off by a 22 yard wide receiver screen pass to senior Dayne Johnson to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

Sabetha rose to the occasion with a huge defensive stop late in the 1^st half as Silver Lake had 2^nd and 2 at the Bluejay three-yard line.  The Bluejays sacked QB Kipton Kruger on the next play and after an incomplete pass into the end zone, Silver Lake had to settle for a 28-yard field goal attempt that missed to keep the score at 7-0 going into the locker room.

The Bluejay offense applied a few adjustments they made at intermission which resulted in a 2^nd half opening drive that took 8:30 off the clock on 16 plays with QB Micah Lang scoring from a yard out on 4^th and goal. Jayton Meyer’s extra point tied the contest 7-7.

The Eagles responded with a long drive of their own but were turned away on a 3^rd and 4 at the Bluejay’s 5.  Mason VanVactor came on to boot a 22-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 10-7 advantage with 10:15 left in the 4^th quarter.  

The ensuing kickoff ended up being the play of the game as Cole Menold returned the kick 83 yards to the Eagle’s 4-yard line.  Senior Will Voos scored on the very next play and with the extra point, Sabetha took their first lead of the game, 14-10, just 18 seconds after Silver Lake had led 10-7.

On Silver Lake’s 3^rd play of their next possession, the Bluejay defense forced and recovered an Eagle fumble.  7 plays later, with 5:07 left in the game, Micah Lang scored from 3 yards out to push the Bluejay lead to 21-10. 

After a turnover on downs by Silver Lake, Sabetha put the game away on a 38-yard scamper by Voos pushing the lead to 28-10 with 3:39 remaining as the Bluejays scored 21 points in a 6:36 span!

The Eagles scored the final touchdown with :35 left on a 11-yard strike from Kipton Kruger to senior Joel Miller to make the final score, 28-16.

The Bluejay offense didn’t attempt a single pass in the game!  All 236 yards of offense came via the ground as Voos led the charge, unofficially, with 22 carries for 155 yards and 2 scores.

Silver Lake was led by their fantastic wide receiver, Dayne Johnson, who hauled in 13 receptions for 170 yards and a TD. Johnson finished the season with 74 catches for 1,032 yards and 8 TDs. Freshman QB, Kipton Kruger threw for 286 yards and 2 scores, completing 30 of his 35 passes.

With the win, Sabetha improves to 9-1.  It was the Bluejays 4^th straight playoff victory against Silver Lake (2015, 2017, 2023, 2025).

Silver Lake ended their season at 7-3, winning 7 games in a row after an 0-2 start. 

Sabetha leads the all-time series vs. Silver Lake, 7-4 overall & 5-3 in the playoffs.

Next up for the Bluejays? A rematch with Nemaha Central who has knocked Sabetha out of the playoffs the past 3 years and who is the only team to defeat the Bluejays this season.

Go HERE to watch the entire broadcast of Sabetha’s 28-16 win.