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MIDDLETON RUSHES HUTCH TO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

HUTCHINSON, Kan. - In the Hutchinson trophy room, you will notice a few things. Of course there is a case packed with hardware from a program that has consistently dominated the upper classes of Kansas football for the past decade. But there is a poster hung on the wall right next to the whiteboard that is impossible to miss. It has a Salthawk football player rocking an opponent back and reads, “Salthawk Football: Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.” Over the course of Hutch’s dominance, it is a motto this program has taken to heart. The Salthawk running game has been the model of brutality, bashing opponents into submission with the force of a war hammer for a long time. It has led to some successful teams and players with some gaudy numbers. But in 2014, the team mentality of physical dominance has led to one player standing above all the other running backs with a school record for rushing yards in a season. Blaik Middleton has rushed for 2,624 yards with a state championship game yet to play. He broke the school’s rushing record in the first round of the playoffs, and has the Salthawks looking for an eighth trophy to add to the case. “I’m honored,” said Middleton. “I feel great for having (the record). I’m just blessed for having it. I come into every game with the same mentality, wanting to do better. I just stay relaxed and focused, and let my offensive line do the work.” His offensive line is enjoying every second of having the opportunity to do that work. In Hutch, you grow up wanting to be a Salthawk, and to get the opportunity to be a part of greatness. And when the opportunity finally comes, it means being encouraged to hit people in the mouth every Friday, and who doesn’t get excited about that? “Once you just start rolling, and you are just beating kids, and I make a decent block and see Blaik run for a touchdown, it is just the most fun you can have,” said senior lineman Nathan Hale. It is a mentality of toughness that characterizes the 2014 Salthawks, has gotten Middleton the record, and has Hutchinson back in a state title game after a dismal 2-4 run through the non-district regular season. “Once we were 2-4, we were worried about going to the playoffs, and worried about everything,” said Hale. “We had nothing left to lose then. Everyone was counting us out. Everyone was already taking us off their boards to be in the state championship, be in the playoffs, so we just go out there and play and not really have to worry about everything.” It is hard to think of Hutch as an underdog on the football field, but it is a role that has befallen this team after a slow start. However, when you compare the accomplishments of this running game, Middleton with the five battering rams paving the way, with the great Salthawk teams of the past, it would be insane to call this team anything but a very real and worthy contender. “It’s exciting,” said Middleton. “It’s a real fun atmosphere. I mean, it’s been real crazy, but we have battled back, and now we are in the championship.”

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