2009 Pretty Prairie Bulldogs football

The 2009 Pretty Prairie High School football season came to a disappointing end Friday night, as the Bulldogs fell to the Falcons from Baileyville B & B.

Baileyville was a deserving, well-rounded team that plays good solid football, and is well-coached.

But this isn't about them.

This is about the Pretty Prairie team that took a previously-unbeaten record four-plus hours north to see what it was made of.

On the field, the Bulldogs lost the game--their season was over. Then the helmets came off.

Let's rewind.

Pretty Prairie opened its season by surrendering 22 unanswered points to South Barber. The rest of September? Pretty Prairie 172, Opponents 28. They never looked back.

On October 9, the Bulldogs provided their home fans with the game of the season in a clash with the visiting Claflin Wildcats--pitting two teams who'd gone down to the wire the previous season, with Pretty Prairie coming up on the wrong end.

The rematch did not disappoint, culminating in thrilling fashion, as the Bulldogs closed out Claflin, 46-44. In the waning seconds, ailing quarterback Hunter Pittman threaded a nifty pass in traffic to freshman Alex Mains just inside the left pylon. Mains made the catch of a lifetime in the endzone to give Pretty Prairie the lead. Claflin moved down the field with a couple quick--albeit long plays, but was brought down just short of the goal line by the Bulldog defense as time expired.

Hysteria in a community of barely 600.

Pretty Prairie coasted through its next two games before grinding out a win versus Goessel and smashing Udall in its Bi-District game. They then rolled past an unsuspecting Frankfort squad (40-8) to set up a Sub-State battle with the defending State Champion Baileyville Falcons.

Pretty Prairie won 11 games for various reasons.

Leadership: Ben Ketchem, Cole Kirkbride. If you watched even a single game, nothing else need be said. True, Pretty Prairie "only" loses two seniors, and could be even more formidable next season. However, those are two tough seniors to lose.

Touchdowns (and lots of them): Junior Daniel Krehbiel has to be considered one of the top running backs in Kansas for his play in 2009.

Play-making: Hunter Pittman and fellow junior Tanner Hines were integral play-makers on offense for the Bulldogs as well, while the defense was a harder-hitting group than anyone seemed ready for. Junior Seth Hastings was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks all season long. Junior Josh Kaufman laid a smashing hit on a Frankfort player that looked like it should have landed him in a coma. Brilliant football play. Freshman Stetson Broce seemed to always have a nose for the ball as he racked up tackles and interceptions throughout the season.

Teamwork: Perhaps the most cliche rally cry in sports, but you'd probably be hard pressed to find a closer-knit group of young men than the 2009 Bulldog football team.

Coaching: Over the course of eight-plus years, I've concluded that C.T. Young could catch a fish, teach it to grow legs, run a slant route, and catch a pass over the middle. OK, perhaps a bit far-fetched. But my guess? Probably not by much. He knows the game of football, and loves it. And it shows in the attitudes of his players.

Back to Baileyville, KS--Friday, November 13.

I know the guys on the team will most likely see the Sub-State loss as a failure, a disappointment, unfinished business, all that stuff. I've played sports all my life--I know how it works.

But...

As the young, dispirited Bulldogs walked off the field in sorrow, helmets in their hands and tears in their eyes--senior captains Ben Ketchem and Cole Kirkbride stood firm at midfield applauding the victors from Baileyville--the type of defining moment that turns boys into men in an instant.

Goosebumps.

In that very moment, as if never before--I was proud to know those two young men. Ben and Cole, I'm proud to call you my friends.

Kudos to you both for always playing--and acting the right way. Trust me, people notice.

To the rest of the Bulldogs,
Congrats on a great season. You will be back.

Derrick Mead

PS--Tried to tinker with a pic. Looked good when I finished, but came out blurry for some reason. Enjoy.