WELLSVILLE — Wellsville High School football coach Mark Luedtke said no matter how many times coaches and players go through the marathon of three games in 11 days, it does not get any easier.

“It is tough,” he said. “There is nothing easy about it. We have been through it before.”

WELLSVILLE — Wellsville High School football coach Mark Luedtke said no matter how many times coaches and players go through the marathon of three games in 11 days, it does not get any easier.

“It is tough,” he said. “There is nothing easy about it. We have been through it before.”

Senior Shane Hillman said the experience of the past few seasons do help the players understand what is about to take place.

“We have a lot of people that practiced with our scout or second team with our other playoff teams,” Hillman said. “That has really helped.”

Wellsville advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight year Tuesday with a convincing 64-15 win over Burlington in Wellsville.

The Eagles (6-4) play 2 p.m. today at home against Caney Valley (11-1) in the second round. The Bullpups rolled Galena 52-9 in their bi-district playoff game.

Luedtke said Caney Valley is a tough-nosed team. He said the Bullpups remind him of his team.

“They don’t do anything fancy,” he said. “They come right at you. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They are well coached.”

Kansas teams still in the playoffs usually have the same characteristics. Luedtke, a veteran coach, said playoff teams don’t beat themselves with turnovers and penalties.

“They are fundamentally sound,” Luedtke. “The Kansas teams in the playoffs can run the ball and play defense.”

Caney Valley has all those characteristics. Caney Valley has scored 30-plus points in all but two games this season.

The Eagles have been a juggernaut offensively averaging 43 points a game the past seven games.

Caney and Wellsville are used to being in the playoff and making a run.

“They have been good the last few years,” Luedtke said. “They don’t have a lot of seniors.”

Wellsville turned it game up another notch as the season progressed.

“We are playing about as well as we played last year at this time,” Luedtke said.

“They are having fun playing. It is exciting.”

Hillman said the Wellsville defense swarms to the ball led by linebackers Luke Meyer and Landon Holtwick.

Home teams usually  have an advantage in the playoffs. Luedtke hopes the bus ride down takes a little steam out of the Bullpups.

Hillman said it is awesome to play home football games.

“I am excited to play a Saturday afternoon game,” Luedtke said. “When we played Neodesha a couple of years ago, it was a great atmosphere.”

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