Carroll’s crusade is over: Kapaun wins football rivalry game for first time since 1999

For the first time since 1999, the Holy War high school football rivalry belongs to Kapaun Mt. Carmel.

A bitter 26-game losing streak to their west-side Wichita rival was ended by the Crusaders at Riverfront Stadium on Friday night with an emphatic 49-20 victory over Bishop Carroll.

When it was all over, Kapaun’s players rushed to the student section to celebrate ending a streak that began before any of them had been born.

“I always came to these games when I was a kid and you could always feel the tension everywhere,” Kapaun quarterback Dylan Hamilton said. “It was always the game to be at. To wear Crusaders across our chests and get it done tonight, it’s just amazing. It’s a real blessing to be a part of this.”

Since taking over the program in 2020, Kapaun coach Weston Schartz has been bombarded with the same question.

“We beat a really good Northwest team my second year here and not one person said, ‘Congratulations.’ They said, ‘Can we beat Carroll?’” Schartz said. “There’s no doubt this is the most intense rivalry in town.”

The same pressure is applied to the Kapaun players.

“I remember when we had our first practice of the year back in June, people were already asking, “Do you think we can beat Carroll this year?’” Kapaun star running back Omari Elias said.

Remove the 24 years of history stacked against Kapaun and Friday’s result was hardly surprising: The Crusaders improved to 5-1 and are ranked No. 2 in Kansas Class 5A, while Carroll (2-4) is fighting through injuries and inexperience to try to avoid its first losing season since 1995.

In a way, Kapaun’s runaway win on Friday put the streak in perspective of just how impressive Carroll’s dominance was for so long in the rivalry.

“The streak is something that (the media) came up with, I’ve never really thought about it like that,” said Carroll coach Dusty Trail, who was on the sidelines for all 26 victories during the streak. “It’s just hard, especially with all of the emotions that go into this game. To have a run like that is pretty remarkable. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to extend it tonight. Congratulations to them, they played a hell of a game.”

Even when Kapaun tried to turn Friday night’s game into a blowout right away, scoring a touchdown less than 90 seconds in and building a 14-0 lead before Carroll touched the ball twice, the Golden Eagles remained resilient.

Carroll methodically drove down the field for its first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, then flipped the momentum of the game when star quarterback Jackson King evaded a gang of tacklers near the left sideline and sprinted 51 yards for an improbable touchdown to tie the score 14-14.

After losing the rivalry game by a total of 15 points the last three years, Kapaun fans had to be thinking not again.

“It’s just been one frustration after another for so many years,” said Kapaun principal Chris Bloomer, who doubles as the football team’s offensive line coach. “We’ve had great teams. We’ve had years where we’ve come close. There’s years we probably should have won, but for one bad bounce of the ball or something like that, it slipped away. It’s been absolutely gut-wrenching. Every year we prepare and every year we think we’re ready, and we’ve fallen short year after year.

“But this bunch, they were the right team at the right time to do it.”

Just before halftime, Hamilton dropped back, loaded up and sailed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Daniel streaking down the opposite sideline to put Kapaun up 21-14.

When Carroll responded on its first possession of the second half, a 33-yard touchdown run by Thomas Gorges, Kapaun pushed right back, converting a fourth-and-4 play from Carroll’s 26 and then scoring on another option play run by Hamilton to build a 28-20 lead.

After a defensive stand, Kapaun converted another fourth-down play to set up a short touchdown run by Henry Chrisman. On the ensuing possession by Carroll, Gorges spun free into the open field for what looked like a major gain until Kapaun safety Noah Schreck swooped in to twirl Gorges around and poke the ball loose for a fumble recovered by Nate Thengvall. Two players later, Elias scored a 69-yard touchdown to all but secure the victory with a 42-20 lead.

“I was crying before the game just from the emotion I saw from our kids,” Schartz said. “To see a bunch of kids who played together since they were in the fourth grade, just the bonds there, that’s what you do it for. That’s why you coach.”

Schartz has a lifetime full of top-notch football wins from his days turning around the West program and turning Northwest into an annual championship contender. Friday’s win at Kapaun ranks “top-five” for the coach.

“The thing about Kapaun is they’ve got a real sense of community, which I’ve never been a part of something like that,” Schartz said. “It’s really cool.”

After Kapaun’s players took the field by running through a sign that read: “All things must come to an end” — a called shot of sorts — they finished the night with a wild celebration with their classmates.

Half of the 8,212 fans in attendance roared their approval. The streak was over. History had been made. And now it was time to celebrate.

“All of those people who ask us every year if we’re going to beat Carroll, it’s like a pressure cooker,” said Elias, who finished with 239 rushing yards. “And now this win is like the big explosion. It was incredible.”