By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

A disappointed and emotional Colt Rogers, Smith Center's starting defensive back/halfback and four-year starter, stood at the north edge of Lewis Field Stadium after Saturday's Class 2-1A state championship. Redmen defensive coordinator Brock Hutchinson walked up behind Rogers, gave him a hug and whispered, "I love you."

Tears filled Rogers' eyes as he turned, hugged Hutchinson and said "I love you." After a long embrace, Rogers walked a few yards to his dad, Smith Center assistant coach Mike Rogers. Father and son had a tearful hug that lasted several minutes.

The scenes punctuated the end of Smith Center's nation-best and Kansas-record 79-game winning streak. The Redmen lost 20-12 in overtime to Centralia, the first time an opponent defeated Smith Center since Hesston beat the Redmen 21-6 in the 2003 playoffs.

"What hurts the most is just knowing all of the work and all of the dedication that you put in with all these teammates," Rogers said. "The more time you spend at something, the worse it is when you lose."

Smith Center, which received a postgame standing ovation from its fanbase that covered the entire north side of the stands, finished with five consecutive titles, second-best in state history. Hutchinson picked up its record sixth in a row with a 52-14 victory against Gardner-Edgerton in the Class 5A championship Saturday. In addition, it marked the first defeat for Smith Center since it dropped to 2-1A six seasons ago.

"I think our kids are disappointed, but they would be disappointed with any loss," head coach Roger Barta, 301-59 in his career, said. "But we just start over now. It had to end sometime. I wish it wasn't today, but it was."

Rogers, who has rushed for more than 4,500 yards in his career, including 1,812 this season, was held to a season-low 32 yards on 20 carries. In addition, he fumbled four times, including the game's final play on Smith Center's first overtime snap. Rogers had fumbled just five times all year.

"The exchange wasn't very clean," Rogers said. "It happened fast. It just came out."

Centralia, in the state title game for the first time since 1997, picked up the first football crown in school history.

"Just incredible," Centralia sophomore Michael Glatczak said.

"I knew they had won 79 straight, but we knew it was going to end right there. We knew we could run on them. ... We knew we could win."

Smith Center (12-1) scored 12 points, its second-lowest output of 2009. Centralia (13-1) outgained Smith Center 203-145, the lowest yardage total the Redmen collected in a single game.

The Redmen, who had averaged 7.8 yards per rush in the wishbone/belly series, picked up 111 rushing yards on 40 carries.

"We knew Rogers was going to run the ball," Centralia head coach Larry Glatczak said. "The other halfback (sophomore Truitt Kuhlmann) we knew wasn't going to carry it as much. It was going to be Rogers and the fullback (senior Matt Atwood) and we had to focus on those two kids. Kids did a great job of keeping him in the box. They get outside the box, Rogers is gone. He is so dang quick you can't tackle him one-on-one, so the key was keeping him in the box."

Smith Center, which was 4-of-17 passing entering Saturday, was forced to pass. Senior quarterback Shawn Stansbury finished 3-of-4 for 34 yards.

"They were blitzing us pretty bad," Barta said. "They were a nine-man front most of the time. We couldn't stay on the blocks long enough to break a big one, so we had to throw it a little bit. They made us throw. We did a pretty good job of doing it."

The Redmen, who had the nation's longest 11-man streak all season, had the longest in the country entering the championship. A week ago, Shattuck (Okla.), an eight-man school, lost in the state semifinals, ending a 93-game run. Centralia believed they could end the Redmen's streak Saturday.

"It's just a tremendous feeling," coach Glatczak said. "I told the kids, 'we don't know Smith Center.' Half of these kids don't even know where they are located at. The streak really meant little to these guys. Like I told them last week when we beat St. Marys, they got 79 in a row, but that doesn't matter.

"We are going to play one game," he added. "We've got nothing to do with those past 79 games. We are going to come out Saturday and play one great game and we are going to win the state championship. The kids focused on that all week. What a great, focused bunch."

Smith Center fumbled on three of its first four offensive plays, including two by the 5-5, 155-pound Rogers. The third fumble popped up to sophomore Michael Glatczak who ran it in from 12 yards. Centralia's two-point conversion failed and they led 6-0 with 5:32 left in the first quarter.

Smith Center responded with back-to-back scores. The Redmen had a 17-play, 51-yard drive that lasted 8:19 and ended with a 25-yard field goal from junior Timur Schubart. Smith Center converted a 16-yard pass from Stansbury to Rogers on fourth-and-13 to set up the score.

"(Passing was) not the plan," Rogers said. "We do it every week in practice, so we know we can."

"They throw one time every three years," coach Glatczak said. "You focus on the run so much that it opens up the pass and they hit a couple passes on us."

Michael Glatczak fumbled the ensuing kickoff and senior Garrett Kuhlmann recovered at the Panther 18. Three plays later, Stansbury scored on a 13-yard run for a 9-6 lead, his first rushing TD of the year.

In the third quarter, Centralia had an 11-play drive halted at Smith Center's 26 when Rogers picked off a pass from senior quarterback Tyler Glatczak (4-of-12, 48 yards). Two plays later, Rogers fumbled at his own 39.

"Didn't back down, wasn't afraid of Smith Center," coach Glatczak said. "You can see it. We hit them right in the mouth. We hit them right in the mouth play after play after play and so did they. They were a physical team as well, but our kids weren't going to back down."

The Panthers converted the turnover into a 12-9 lead on an 8-yard reverse from Michael Glatczak. Tyler Glatczak pitched out to the right to senior Philip Steinlage. Then Steinlage (game-high 81 yards on 19 carries) pitched back to Michael Glatczak who ran right to left and scored untouched.

"That was the first time we have ran that play all year," coach Glatczak said. "We have had it in our package, but we never had to really use it."

It marked the first time Smith Center trailed in the second half all season. With 49 seconds left, Schubart, a German exchange student in his first year of playing football, tied the game at 12 with a 30-yard field goal, his Kansas-best eighth of the year.

"I was really nervous," Schubart said. "I started kicking the first practice I was here, so I had never kicked a football before. We had played around with footballs before, but we don't use them because football is not that popular in Germany. Everyone is playing soccer."

"When he got the hang of kicking a football, he is real good," Rogers said.

Schubart's leg changed Centralia's mentality in overtime.

"We had to score or we were going to lose," Michael Glatczak said.

On third down, Tyler Glatczak rushed in from nine yards and then completed a two-point conversion pass to Michael Glatczak for a 20-12 lead.

"We thought maybe if we could hold them in overtime then we had a chance at a field goal and come out with a win," Barta said.

Instead, on the first play from scrimmage, Rogers fumbled at the Centralia 10-yard line, ending the Redmen's 79-game run.

"Kids are focused," coach Glatczak said. "They weren't like 'here we go overtime.' They were like 'all right, let's go win this thing.' We get the ball and they get the ball. Who is going to make plays?"

During team photos, Rogers kneeled down on one knee, face in his hands. As the photos finished, Rogers, one of five team captains, remained motionless. He received hugs from Smith Center fans before the emotional embraces with Hutchinson and his father.

"It's hard," Rogers said.

Class 3A

Collegiate 37

Marysville 30

HUTCHINSON -- Wide receiver Brett LeMaster returned two kicks for scores and also caught a touchdown pass as Wichita Collegiate held off Marysville 37-30 for the Kansas Class 3A title.

Hutchinson answered a Marysville field goal when Blake Jablonski hit LeMaster from 19 yards out. LeMaster answered another Marysville score by returning the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, and he later shook off two defenders to return a punt 80 yards for a score.

Saturday's title was the third for Wichita Collegiate and its first since 2000.

Class 4A

Bishop Miege 28, Topeka-Hayden 6

SALINA-- Jamie Kostelac caught two passes for touchdowns as Bishop Miege defeated Hayden 28-6 to win the Kansas Class 4A title.

Matt Shortell added a 78-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Releford on Saturday to push Bishop Miege to its fourth championship and its first since 1977.

Running back John Banister finished the game at quarterback for Hayden after the team lost its top two quarterbacks in the third quarter.

Banister threw a 2-yard scoring pass to put Hayden on the board in the third quarter.

Class 5A

Hutchinson 52, Gardner-Edgerton 14

EMPORIA -- Running back Deveon Dinwiddie ran for 219 yards and four touchdowns as Hutchinson beat Gardner-Edgerton 52-14 in the Class 5A championship game.

Saturday's win gave undefeated Hutchinson its sixth straight state title.

Hutchinson senior fullback Josh Smith added 117 yards rushing and scored the game's opening touchdown.

Dinwiddie also had a 43-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter as the Salthawks scored 45 straight points.

Gardner-Edgerton quarterback Bubba Starling threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice by Hutchinson defensive back James Jones.

Class 6A

Olathe North 37,

Wichita Heights 3

TOPEKA -- James Franklin ran for three touchdowns as Olathe North beat Wichita Heights 37-3 to win the Kansas Class 6A title.

Franklin opened the scoring Saturday with a 25-yard run in the first quarter.

He added scoring runs of five and 68 yards as Olathe North was never threatened.

Wichita Heights' only score came on Chris Farley's 28-yard field goal in the second quarter.

It was Olathe North's eighth championship and fourth this decade, but its first since 2003.