MADISON—Friday night’s first-round state playoff game between Madison High School and Sedan High School was marked by explosives, short drives, smart defense and long drives; not necessarily in that order.
The Bulldogs prevailed, 57-12, and will face Ell-Saline next Friday in the second round of the playoffs. The Madison defense was key as it stymied the speed and outside rushing attack of Sedan.
“Defensively, we made plays when we needed to,” said Madison coach Nate Teichgraeber in a text message. “Our kids fly to the ball, but we need to clean up execution at times. We are proud of how hard our kids play on defense.”
The Blue Devils were able to capitalize on a couple of big plays late in the game, but they never truly threatened the Bulldogs.
“We gave up some yards 20 to 20, but clamped down for the most part in the red zone,” Teichgraeber added.
Six of Madison’s eight touchdowns came mostly via explosive plays. Bulldog receiver Lane Smith grabbed TD receptions of 45, 33 and 15 yards. The definitive momentum shift came in the second quarter when Corey Yowell intercepted a Sedan pass and returned it to midfield. On the first play of the ensuing Madison drive, he scored on a 42-yard TD pass from quarterback Brayden Grimmett.
The only spark for Sedan was a 50-yard touchdown run by speedy running back Lincoln Dowell. However, it was too little, too late.
Now, the Bulldogs will meet Ell-Saline in the next round of state postseason play. The Cardinals are ranked No. 3 in 8-man Division I, and Madison will have to bring its A-game defense if it’s to move to round three.
“We will need a complete team effort next week on the road against a great team in Ell Saline,” Teichgraeber said.