Potter-Dix started where they left off last weekend, Ty Ottoson hauling in pass from Luke Johnson and taking to the house.

Against Wauneta-Palisade, that combination clicked for seven scores and a convincing win. But Sedgwick County was ready for the Coyotes’ wide open offense. Despite falling behind early--Ottoson’s score, a 66 yard kickoff return for six by Clint Serres and another Johnson strike to Brady Knigge doing the damage--the Cougars eventually dropped Potter-Dix, 60-32.

“They had a good game plan,” said Coyotes coach Dale Frerichs, “and we didn’t execute well on offense.”

The former happens sometimes. Sedgwick’s defensive backs mixed up coverages and gave Johnson different looks. As a result, the Coyotes quarterback suffered through one of his most difficult games of the young season--though he still connected on 14 of 30 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

On the ground, however, Potter-Dix stalled. Grinding back Cody Aure managed only 23 yards on five carries. Dustin Brown added 15--a total of 38 yards from the team’s feature backs. Deducting for sacks, the Coyotes gained a mere six yards rushing.

Still, the vaunted Potter-Dix defense kept things close, thanks to the ability of Ethan Hinrichs (10 tackles), Serres (11), Knigge (10) and Aure (12) to swarm to the ball. At halftime the score stood at 28-20 in favor of the visitors. At the end of three periods--after the teams traded touchdowns, with Sedgwick’s Juan Fraire racing to the end zone for the first of his two fumble recoveries for six and Ottoson hitting Jeff Maddox--the Cougars still clung to that precarious eight point advantage. And Potter-Dix’s quick strike offense seemed capable of finally pouncing.

But he fourth quarter was a nightmare for the home side.

Fraire made his second fumble recovery for a score. Sedgwick’s Jacob Kline fell on another loose ball in the end zone and the Cougars offense added two conventional touchdowns. All of a sudden Potter-Dix was down 60-26.

A 22 yard romp by Kyle Gorsuch with less than a minute remaining brought things to a close.

Mistakes proved costly for the Coyotes, but Frerichs sees a teaching opportunity.

“We’ll go back and fix those things and be ready for Leyton,” he said.