By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

The Indians usually won the turnover battle in the first eight games this season.

But turnovers hurt the Hays High School football team in Friday night's game against McPherson, with a playoff berth in Class 5A, District 6 on the line. The Indians had five fumbles, losing two, and threw an interception in a 49-19 loss at Lewis Field Stadium that ended Hays High's season. McPherson got the second playoff spot in the district, behind Hutchinson.

"They played hard ... didn't end up the way we wanted it to," Hays High coach Ryan Cornelsen said. "Still proud of the kids."

McPherson (8-1 overall, 2-1 district) took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 11 plays, capped by senior quarterback Joel Piper's 12-yard pass to junior end Christian Ulsaker for the score. The Bullpups completed 6-of-8 passes on the drive.

"We felt we needed seven in the box to stop the run," Cornelsen said.

Junior running back Kevin O'Connor scored the first of his three touchdowns four plays after Indian senior quarterback Bryant Bombardier lost a fumble on the snap from center. O'Connor scored from a yard out to make it 14-0 with 10:32 left in the second quarter.

Hays High (7-2, 1-2) fumbled twice, but recovered them both, on the Indians' first two plays on their next series, but got a 44-yard completion from Bombardier to senior Travis Pfannenstiel to get to the Bullpup 13. The drive stalled from there, and the Indians settled for a 28-yard field goal by sophomore Austin Unrein to make it 14-3 with 6:33 remaining in the first half.

The Hays High defense then stopped the Bullpups on fourth-and-1 at the McPherson 49, but three plays later McPherson senior defensive tackle Cord Nestor stripped the ball on a handoff on a trap play and rumbled 39 yards to the HHS 33. O'Connor scored again five plays later, again from a yard out, for a 21-3 lead with 1:43 left in the second quarter.

"That was big momentum," Cornelsen said of the turnover.

After the Indians were stopped on their next drive, McPherson took over at the HHS 47 with 41.5 seconds left in the half. On the Bullpups' second play, Piper hit sophomore Jordan Hart for 37 yards to the HHS 1, where Piper scored two plays later with 8.6 seconds left.

"I told the kids at halftime I didn't think we got outplayed, just turning the ball over," Cornelsen said. "I felt we were playing hard, just made mistakes we typically don't make."

McPherson junior fullback Seth Davenport scored from 22 yards out with 9:03 left in the third quarter to make it 35-3.

On their next possession, the Bullpups traveled 55 yards in 13 plays, capped by Davenport's TD run from 2 yards out for a 42-3 lead with 1:43 left in the third.

Hays High scored two TDs in the fourth quarter. Junior running back Casey Sedbrook had a 49-yard completion to senior wideout Kris Neuhauser on a halfback pass to set up Bombardier's 5-yard scoring pass to junior fullback Josh Balman, who later had a 14-yard TD run. Sandwiched in between was a 12-yard TD run by junior backup tailback Dakota Nichols for McPherson.

After Pfannenstiel blocked a punt late in the game, the Hays High reserves had first-and-goal from the Bullpup 9, but the Indians were stopped on fourth down at the 1-yard line.

O'Connor finished with 101 yards on 25 carries, while Piper completed 13-of-20 passes for 197 yards. Ulsaker had seven catches for 112 yards.

Sedbrook led Hays High with 61 yards on 17 carries. Bombardier was 3-of-9 passing for 60 yards, with one interception.

Hays High didn't get its first playoff berth since 1995, but did win its first Western Athletic Conference championship since 2001.

"Hope the seniors look back and realize what we accomplished this year," Cornelsen said. "We feel good about what's coming back. Comes down to how you work between now and next season, so this doesn't happen again."