With their white uniforms blending in with the heavy snowfall, the Cheney Cardinals turned in a dominant performance in winning their first-ever State football title, a 34-7 victory over the Topeka Hayden Wildcats.

Both teams struggled to move the ball. With a considerable amount of snow already on the field at kickoff, both teams had to deal with a wet snowfall that continued throughout the game. An estimated 2-4 inches fell between kickoff and the final whistle.

The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, thanks to big plays involving Drew Tolar. The senior wide receiver scored on a 16-yard pass from Josh Burdick to give the Cardinals a 7-0 first-quarter lead. That touchdown was set up by a long pass play, where Burdick threw to Jackson Voth in the backfield, and Voth broke free down the left sideline.

Hayden responded in the second quarter, finding the end zone on a 39-yard pass to tie the game at 7.

Tolar took the ensuing kickoff deep in Cheney territory, hurdled a Hayden tackler who was on the ground, and then sprinted down the right sideline for an 88-yard touchdown return. That put Cheney ahead 14-7 going into halftime.

With heavy snow falling in the third quarter, neither team was able to do much in the third quarter.

The Cardinals put the game away in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns. The scoring outburst started with another Burdick-to-Tolar pass, this time good for a 55-yard touchdown.

Burdick and Colter McDaniel, another senior, combined for the next two scores as Cheney put together strong scoring drives. The first was on a 15-yard pass, and the second was on a 7-yard pass with just 1:13 left in the game.

Colton Summerer played a big role in the second half as well, with two big punts that flipped the field and allowed Cheney’s defense to keep Hayden pinned in its own end.

Cheney head coach Shelby Wehrman said he has never coached or played in conditions like Saturday.

“Never. Never. I’ve only seen it in Buffalo on TV,” he said. “It wasn’t so hard for me. I felt bad for several players.”

That included Voth, who at least twice came up with an facemask full of snow. On numerous kickoffs and punts, the ball landed in the snow and just stopped, waiting for a player to pick it up.

Wehrman said the weather impacted coaching.

“We didn’t run as many of our quick routes. You couldn’t cut. Anything you did had to be graceful and careful,” he said.

Both teams struggled to run the ball. With so much snow on the ground and continuing to fall, most of the run plays were up the middle, where the opposing defense was ready. Cheney rushed for 33 yards on 16 carries. Hayden ran for 46 yards on 35 attempts, averaging just 1.3 yards per carry.

Cheney’s offensive identity all season was built around its passing game, and it came through again despite the weather.

It took a little time for the Cardinals to adjust.

They threw less in the first half, and then took the air more in the second, both with short passes in the backfield and longer throws downfield.

“Josh (Burdick) did a great job and so did the receivers,” Wehrman said.

“I was superimpressed with his reads. He’s a pure passer. He was so good this year with his ability to keep plays alive.”

Wehrman said Tolar’s kickoff return was a turning point in the game.

“I though that set the tone for the rest of the game. Our blockers did a great job,” he said.

Saturday was Tolar’s best offensive game in his career. Wehrman said he’s been great all year, especially on defense. Tolar did not start offensively in Week 1 last season, but has steadily improved over two seasons.

Wehrman said Voth was double-teamed much of the game, but still turned in a “quiet” 76 yards – below his average, but still an impressive result for any receiver, especially given the weather. “He’s a competitior. He loves to play and wants to get better every game.

That’s what’s most impressive,” Wehrman said.

McDaniel had one of his best offensive games of his career as well. Cheney’s top trio of receivers also made an impact on defense. Voth and McDaniel each had key interceptions to snuff out possible Hayden scoring drives deep in Cheney territory.

Wehrman had additional praise for Gavin Maass, who can get overlooked with Cheney’s plethora of talented receivers. The offensive line also earned a lot of compliments from Wehrman.

The coach added that Cheney’s defense is often forgotten because of the high-scoring offense.

Cheney’s defense held powerhouse Hayden scoreless for three quarters. Lineman Kason Messenger was a huge part of the defense, shutting down inside runs. Linebacker Grady Ditgen was another key defensive contributor.

The defense solved Andale’s offense in their first meeting, and shut out the Indians in the second half of their playoff game. They had five shutouts this season, including four in a row.

They never allowed more than three touchdowns in any game.

“Our defense has been the unsung heroes.

Against Andale, we don’t win if they score one more time,” Wehrman said. “That makes me happy because what I try to build our team on is good defense.”

The Cardinals gained 227 yards through the air, compared to 74 for the Wildcats.

Burdick, the Cardinals’ junior quarterback and second-year starter, was 19-for-30 with four touchdowns and one interception. Tolar had a career game, with 115 yards on five catches, with two receiving touchdowns plus the kickoff return.

Jackson Voth led the team in receptions, catching nine balls for 76 yards.

McDaniel finished the game with 3 catches for 22 yards and two touchdowns. Gavin Maass had two receptions for 14 yards.

Cheney’s top runners were Tre Black with 17 yards (4 carries), Jackson with 15 yards (seven carries), Burdick with 6 yards (two carries), and Levi Self with 1 yard (2 carries).