A season ago, the Kapaun Crusaders logged a 2-7 record. Going into the game Friday night, Kapaun sported a 6-1 mark, maybe the best turnaround in Kansas.

The Crusaders weren’t going to let the story come to an end.

Tailback/cornerback Cale Curtis scored three times, Salina South suffered from a plethora of miscues, and Kapaun cruised to a dominating 74-0 victory at Stryker Sports Complex. The Crusaders advanced to the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs while closing South’s season at 2-6.

South would get a first down on the first drive of the game after a catch by senior receiver Colin Schreiber. Two plays later, Schreiber would make another grab, except this time, Curtis stripped the ball away and returned it to the house for a touchdown.

Sophomore quarterback Weston Fries turned the ball over the next drive, throwing an interception to Brandon Burr. Kapaun signal caller Andrew Gimino expanded the margin with an 18-yard strike to Tiger Jones. Curtis ended the opening stanza with TD runs of 14 and 3 yards, making the score 28-0 after one.

South’s defense found hard in the second period, but broke down on a pair of scores. Both were on quarterback scrambles. The first came from Kai Kunz on a 32-yard scramper. With little time remaining in the half, Gimino weaved through traffic and found the end zone for a 44-yard TD, putting Kapaun on top 42-0.

The second half would only get worse for Salina South. Three snaps went over the head of Fries that resulted in a pair of safeties and a touchdown for Kapaun. The Crusaders preserved the goose egg on the board for their fourth shutout of the season.

Salina South says goodbye to a handful of important seniors, but the future is bright with a young team returning for 2021.