The scene was classic playoff football — cars parked in lots and on grass. Additional bleachers also were brought in for the game between Tonganoxie and Topeka-Hayden on Saturday night at Beatty Field.

THS athletics director Brandon Parker estimated that roughly 3,000 people attended the game between the two Class 4A schools.

“We parked our football and band kids on the practice field to alleviate some parking spaces, I don’t know how many,” Parker said.

The practice field, just west of Beatty Field, normally remains vacant for football games because plenty of parking spaces are available.

That wasn’t the case on Saturday.

As usual, fans parked at Community National Bank, Chieftain Park, near the multipurpose building south of Beatty Field and in the THS parking lot.

But for the playoff game, those areas were full of vehicles. Fans also parked on the west side of Main Street near Beatty Field and north of the stadium along U.S. Highway 24-40.

The visitors from Hayden were all about football Saturday.

Parker said some fans arrived at 11 a.m. to begin tailgating for the 7 p.m. kickoff. And in the afternoon, Wildcat fans started saving seats for fellow fans in the visitors’ bleachers at Beatty Field.

Hayden won the football game, 41-0, and improved its record to 11-0 on the season. It also was the Wildcats’ 25th straight victory overall.