Junction City withstood a rally by Wichita East to defeat the Blue Aces 49-42 in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A postseason playoffs at Al Simpler Stadium.
The Blue Aces rallied from a 42-24 deficit to tie the game at 42-42 early in the fourth quarter. A Junction City drive ended with a 7-yard DJ Giddens run with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Blue Jays up by the final winning 7-point margin.
Two stands by the Blue Jay defense on the final two Wichita East series on offense were big. Junction City coach Randall Zimmerman knew those two stops were important. "When we had to we made the plays and our defense really rose up. "
Russell Wilkey had a big game for Junction City with 99 yards rushing, 134 yards receiving along with a touchdown plus a big punt return. DJ Giddens rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Junction City ( 9-1 ) will host Derby in the semifinal round of the playoffs next Friday night at Al Simpler Stadium.