Tipton tops Lone Jack, 32-6

TIPTON — A strong defensive effort helped the Tipton Cardinals defeat the Lone Jack Mules 32-6 in opening-round play of the Class 1 state football playoffs on Wednesday night. 

Tipton led 12-6 after three quarters, but a pair of interceptions and several defensive stands gave the Cardinals good field position, leading to three fourth quarter touchdowns.

“We said as soon as the last (district) game was over, it’s the defense from here on out,” said Tipton coach Tony Braby. “If our defense doesn’t play well, we’re gonna struggle and they’re going to be close games. If it plays well, then we’ve got a good shot. Just outstanding. Hitting, gang-tackling, pursuit, it was all there, everything. Great defensive back work, two interceptions.”

Tipton (11-0) began the game with a bruising drive down the field, but Chris Bracht’s 26-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. That set the stage for a scoreless first quarter that saw both defensive units control the line of scrimmage.

“We kept pounding at them, pounding at them, tried to get to the outside a little bit. They made it difficult for us to do things tonight,” said Braby of the Lone Jack defense.

On the first play of the second quarter, Keil Allison broke through and partially blocked a Lone Jack punt. That play gave the Cardinals good field position at the Lone Jack 37 yard line.

Six plays later, Marcus Brinkley connected with Bracht for an 18-yard scoring pass. The kick was wide, giving the Cardinals a 6-0 lead.

After a short punt on the next Lone Jack possession, Tipton set up on offense with another short field at the Mules 31. On third down, Brinkley hit Bracht again, this time for a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 12-0 lead.

“We feel like we’re a three-phase team — inside, outside, and passing. At times they were taking two of them away, and I thought our passing game worked pretty well tonight,” said Braby.

Lone Jack (6-5) finally got its offense rolling after the score. The Mules kept the ball on the ground, using quarterback Scott Radmacher and running backs Dalton Shahan and Michael Martin to move the ball.

Radmacher capped the 16-play, 76-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 12 seconds remaining in the half to cut the Tipton lead to 12-6. That score gave the Mules momentum heading into the second half, and Lone Jack would receive the ball first in the third quarter.

The Tipton defense answered the challenge, forcing a punt and protecting the lead on the first possession of the quarter.

Braby knew that his team needed a big defensive stop at that time.

“It was 12-6, they’ve got momentum, and we’re kicking off to them. I told the coaches that we have got to stop them after this opening kickoff. The defense stepped up, made the stop, and we felt like we could breathe again,” he said.

The third quarter mirrored the first as both defenses refused to yield. Brinkley left the game for the Cardinals with an injury for one series, but returned later in the quarter.

“Marcus was a little dinged up. It was a very physical game,” said Braby.

The Cardinals put the game away in the fourth quarter. A fake punt on the first possession was unsuccessful for the Mules, once again giving Tipton excellent field position.

Tipton went deep into its playbook and called a halfback pass, and Dallas Peoples hit Bracht with an 18-yard scoring pass. That pushed the Cardinal lead to 18-6 with 8 minutes left in the game.

After the Cardinal defense forced Lone Jack to give the ball up on downs, Tipton struck again quickly. Jonathan Loganbill raced 30 yards for a touchdown and it was a 26-6 game.

Bracht added to his three-touchdown night with an interception, giving the ball back to the Cardinals. Loganbill went 36 yards to the Lone Jack 9, and two plays later, Allison banged in from the 1 for the game’s final score.

The win moves the Cardinals into sectional play. They will travel to play University Academy, a 49-28 winner over Sweet Springs, on Monday.

“It doesn’t get any easier. Sounds like we’re going against University Academy. They’ve got some great athleticism there,” Braby said.