Football Game Preview: Hutchinson Salthawks vs. Hays Indians + Official Tickets

The Hutchinson Salthawks will host the Hays Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Hutchinson is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Their defense stepped up to hand Emporia a 34-0 shutout. The Salthawks pushed the score to 27-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Spartans had little chance of recovering from.

Hutchinson had a senior duo take command as Robert Hunter rushed for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Karmelo Green rushed for 136 yards and one TD on only eight carries. Green's longest rush was for an impressive 58 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.

Meanwhile, Hays won against Liberal last Friday with 49 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Thursday. The Indians put the hurt on Eisenhower with a sharp 49-29 win. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Tigers are ranked 85th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hays is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 40.0 points over those games. As for Hutchinson, their record now sits at 7-2.

Hutchinson took a serious blow against Hays in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, falling 28-0. Can the Salthawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.