YATES CENTER — Yates Center High’s swarming defense and opportunistic offense proved too much for visiting Crest High Friday.
The Wildcats forced seven turnovers, including six interceptions, to open the 2026 season with a 48-0 win.
The turnovers were a key component in allowing Yates Center to race to a 20-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the contest.
After Ben Cook capped Yates Center’s first drive with a 37-yard touchdown run, teammate Jeremiah Jones recovered a fumble on Crest’s first snap of its first possession at the Lancer 2. Gavin Busteed rambled in on a QB keeper on the next play for a 12-0 lead.
Then, freshman lineman Karter Westerman hauled in a nifty pick on a pass to the flat, rumbling 30 yards for another score and a 20-0 lead with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
The pace slowed a a bit after that. The squads traded turnovers before Cook opened the second quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run, and then ended Crest’s next possession with a pick, setting up a 19-yard touchdown strike from Gavin Busteed to Evan McVey.
Cook corralled his second interception of the half to end Crest’s next possession. The Busteed to McVey connect led to the next score with a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Yates Center then turned away Crest’s closest shot at points in the waning moments of the half.
The Lancers’ Andrew Donovan connected twice with Xander Fuller, covering 19 and 15 yards, respectively.
But with time for only one more play, Donovan’s pass to the end zone was picked off by Yates Center’s Marcus Cummings to end the threat.
The zaniness continued after halftime.
Crest’s TJ Beckmon recovered a Wildcat fumble at midfield, but Cummings responded on the next play with an interception of his own to give Yates Center possession at the Lancer 14.
Busteed scored on a 14-yard keeper on the Wildcats’ next play, ending the game via Kansas’s eight-man mercy rule.
Unofficially, Cook rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two interceptions, and another bone-jarring hit that led to a Colton Burkholder interception. Cummings rushed for 62 yards, while Busteed had 37 yards rushing and 93 yards passing. McVey had four catches to cover 82 yards.
Defensively, Cook and Cummings both had two interceptions. Westerman and Burkholder also had interceptions, and Jones had the fumble recovery.
Donovan passed for 82 yard on the night for the Lancers, while Fuller had 62 yards on three receptions. Envy Oberbeck ran for 25 yards.
