Wild End to Kansas State HS Final

05.12.2024HS Boys

sta v st martins 2024 griff hastings cld35057

In a somewhat bizarre final, St. Martin's Kingfishers defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 26-19 to win the Kansas State championships.

This was the third time these two teams had met this season; the first game was a fairly convincing win for Aquinas; the second was a close victory for STA. But this third time the game went to Kingfishers.

It was always going to be close, and this game lived up to expectations.

Aquinas scored three tries, taking a 19-7 lead. But Kingfishers started to come back, thanks in part to a penalty try.

Now here is where things got a little bit weird. The referee for the game pulled up with a cramp. With the ref unable to continue, there needed to be a new official. Neither Assistant Referee on the sideline was able to do it so ... believe it or not ... a referee was pulled out of the crowd to finish the game.

With the game tied 19-19 and time winding down, Aquinas had a chance to win the game. They set up a lineout and maul, only to be stopped by St. Martin's. Back came Kingfishers and with time essentially up, St. Martin's attempted a shot at goal to win the game. The kick missed, and when the Saints attempted to kick to touch in hopes of ending regulation, the kicks didn't make the sideline. St. Martin's had one more shot. They attacked down the sideline, and were tackled into touch—but ... the new referee called a penalty try.

Currently we have not been able to determine exactly the reason, but the call was made. Penalty try, ballgame over, and St. Martin's had won 26-19.

"We had our chances to win," said St. Thomas Aquinas Head Coach Tim Kluempers, who added that his players took the loss very hard.

It was all certainly dramatic. St. Martin's Headmaster Daniel Kerr called it "the greatest match I've ever been a part of. Both teams were amazing."