Tonganoxie football outlasts Lansing for sectional title, will play Bishop Miege in substate
Shawn F. Linenberger
Tonganoxie High football players hoist the sectional plaque Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Beatty Field after THS defeated Lansing, 21-7.The rematch didn’t come down to the final moments of the game like the first meeting in Week 3, but Tonganoxie outlasted Lansing, 21-7, Friday in a Class 4A sectional game at Beatty Field.
The victory sends THS to the substate round in consecutive seasons after the Chieftains made school history by advancing to the round for the first time last year.
Tonganoxie now will meet a program that was a recurring roadblock to the Chieftains a few years ago.
Bishop Miege (4-7) will take on THS (8-3) at 7 p.m. this Friday at Beatty Field.
THS is the No. 5 seed in the 4A East Bracket and will face No. 15 Miege. The Stags advanced to substate after defeating No. 3 Chanute, 37-14, at Chanute. The Blue Comets finished its season at 8-3.
Miege ended Tonganoxie’s season three straight years from 2019-21. The Stags went on to win state titles in 2019 and 2020.
Miege won, 34-20, in 2021, 30-7 in 2020 and 54-10 in 2019.
Tonganoxie was undefeated heading into the playoff clash in 2019.
The other substate matchup is No. 5 Buhler (9-2) against No. 2 Andover Central (10-1) in the East Bracket.
A Tonganoxie victory Friday would ensure that a public school wins the 4A title for the first time since 2015 when there were two divisions in 4A. But overall, the last time a private school didn’t win a 4A title was 2013 when Buhler (13-1) won the crown.
Tonganoxie 21, Lansing 7
Lansing 0 0 7 0 — 7
Tonganoxie 7 0 7 7 — 21