By TYLER HENRY

Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

GYPSUM — Southeast of Saline, the defending 2A champs, bulldozed Phillipsburg 48-6 to claim a quarterfinal victory, and advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in six years.

Southeast manufactured a touchdown drive with a Tiernan Ptacek connection to Bryson Lippold.

The Panthers responded when Tanner Horinek ran a 37-yard touchdown for a 6-6 tie.

That first-quarter score would be the last of Phillipsburg's season.

“We made adjustments to help ourselves, but we played team defense and our guys stepped up,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “They knew we needed to eliminate the sweep against a good, physical football team.”

Grady Gebhardt put Southeast ahead with a rushing touchdown, then extended that lead with another before Ptacek found Lippold for his second touchdown pass.

The Trojans led 26-6 at halftime. Gebhardt scored on a 5-yard run, and his fourth from seven yards finished a 4-touchdown day.

To put a bow on another dominant win, Amarion Holub housed a 67-yard punt return for Southeast of Saline’s first special teams touchdown of the season.

Ptacek completed 13-17 for 158 yards. Gebhardt converted 21 carries into 172 yards and four scores.

Holub turned five carries into 105 yards to go along with his special teams touchdown.

This marks the tenth-straight game in which the Trojans have allowed two or fewer touchdowns to their opponent.

For Phillipsburg, a strong season draws to a close at 7-4.

The Trojans, now 11-0, will host 10-0 Hoisington in Gypsum next Friday. The Cardinals eliminated Garden Plain 36-7 on Friday.