The wishbone — old school, power offense — wasn’t a part of Basehor-Linwood’s plan when the season started. Not remotely.

But then starting quarterback J.C. Watson went down with an injury, and Bobcat coach Rod Stallbaumer was forced to break the proverbial emergency glass.

Power football, it turns out, fits Basehor better than an old pair of shoes. The Bobcats asserted themselves on both sides of the ball on Friday in a 33-0 victory at Piper.

The Bobcats (6-1) kept the ball on the ground for most of the game, and junior running back Nolan Ford just kept getting stronger. He finished with 178 yards on 19 carries, highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown that was well-blocked enough to be little more than a wind sprint.

“We’ve just been running the ball down people’s throats,” Ford said with a grin. “I’m fine with it.”

The Bobcats spread the ball among seven carriers before starting to substitute in the fourth quarter. It’s not remotely what Stallbaumer envisioned when the season started, but he can’t argue with the results.

“I think the kids have bought in, and we’ve looked better each week that we’ve ran it,” Stallbaumer said. “Coming in and switching it up in the middle of the year, it took a little bit to get the timing down and everything, I feel like it fits our personnel well, and right now, it’s what we’re going to do. You have to adapt. You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole.”

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