ONLINE FIRST: Fort Scott outlasts Butler for Region VI Championship

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Fort Scott's Jasmin Hopkins (25) carries the ball on a first-quarter play in the Region VI Championship Game at Frary Field Sunday afternoon. Hopkins carried the ball 42 times for 157 yards in the Greyhounds' 13-12 victory over Butler, which gave the 'Hounds their first playoff championship in school history. (Kenny Felt/Captured Images)

Dennis Herbin recovered a blocked punt in the end zone with just under 10 minutes to play to give No 2-ranked Fort Scott Community College a 13-12 victory over No. 7 Butler in the Region VI Championship Game at Frary Field here Sunday afternoon.

The game was played on a cold, rainy day on a muddy field and defense dominated a contest that saw 18 fumbles, 11 of those by Butler including one on a crucial fourth-down play with just over two minutes to go.

With the victory, Fort Scott is now 11-0, matching the record of the 1970 National Championship Team. This is the first time the Greyhounds have won a playoff championship since the system was established in Kansas in 1981.

"Our kids had to fight for this one, really, really hard," Fort Scott head coach Jeff Sims said. "I did very little today. Our players and coaches did an outstanding job. People came out and supported us and our kids deserve it."

It was Butler's first loss in a playoff championship game since the 2000 season, when the Grizzlies lost in the finals at Garden City. They had won the last seven Kansas championship games in which they had appeared.

Fort Scott scored first on quarterback Dominique Davis' 5-yard bootleg with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. Davis was wide open as he ran around the right side of the line as the Grizzlies keyed on tailback Jasmin Hopkins, who had carried the ball on all but one play of the quarter up to that point.

Butler fullback Dalando Henderson got Butler (8-3) on the board with a 1-yard plunge with 11:14 left in the second quarter. The extra point was blocked.

The Grizzles took advantage of a Fort Scott turnover deep in its own territory to take the lead later in the period as quarterback Ross Dausin found tight end Jordan Voekler in the back of the end zone with 6:58 left in the half. A bad snap resulted in another failed conversion so Butler's lead was 12-7.

Turnovers and defense dominated the second half. The Grizzlies were held to 33 total yards, all rushing, in the second half while the 'Hounds managed just 67 total yards themselves.

Hopkins, the Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year, carried the ball 42 times for 157 yards for the Greyhounds, who ran 58 plays and threw just 3 passes. Fort Scott rushed for 156 of its 164 total yards.

Butler gained just 111 total yards and was held to 56 yards on 57 rushes. The Greyhounds sacked Dausin 6 times for 46 yards in losses.

Fort Scott improved its record to 11-5 against ranked teams during Sims' three-year tenure. Sims, the Jayhawk Conference Coach of the Year, has not lost to a top-10 ranked team at home.