Quincy High School

Friday night at Quincy High School began with a moment of reflection as the Quincy community honored Amy Paradine, who dedicated 31 years to the Quincy school district and was a longtime supporter of Quincy Athletics and the community. A moment of silence followed by an ovation recognized her years of service and lasting impact. Once the game began, the night quickly developed into an offensive showcase, with Quincy coming away with a 47-29 victory over Maple Valley. The Orioles produced a strong offensive performance while also creating several key opportunities on defense, including five takeaways. Quincy opened the scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run by junior running back Noah Kelley, which proved to be the only touchdown of the first quarter as the Orioles took a 7-0 lead. Kelley added another touchdown in the second quarter to extend the Quincy lead to 14-0 before quarterback Joe Gray connected with JJ Wright on a 33-yard touchdown pass. The Orioles led 21-0 before Maple Valley found the end zone to cut the deficit to 21-7 heading into halftime. Maple Valley opened the second half with another touchdown to make it a 21-14 game, but Quincy responded with two more Kelley touchdowns to extend its lead to 35-14. Maple Valley answered with a long touchdown pass to bring the score to 35-21, but Quincy added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 47-21. Maple Valley scored once more on a long touchdown pass and converted a two-point attempt to account for the final points of the game, with Quincy securing the 47-29 victory. Kelley led the Quincy offense, carrying the ball 27 times for 293 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.85 yards per carry. His six touchdowns accounted for 36 of Quincy's 47 points. Gray contributed both through the air and on the ground, completing 11 of 20 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown while adding 36 rushing yards on 13 carries. He connected with four different receivers, led by Wright, who finished with five receptions for 65 yards. Senior Noah Rufenacht added four catches for 38 yards, while senior Jax Sergent recorded a 24-yard reception. Kelley also contributed one reception. Wright also scored a touchdown, while Louis Dauer added three extra points and Gray converted a two-point attempt. Quincy created several opportunities defensively by forcing turnovers. Sergent and Wright each recorded an interception, with Sergent returning his 29 yards. The Orioles also recovered three fumbles, with Isaiah Staggs, Seth Van Stelle and Caleb Wendorf each recording a recovery. Wright led Quincy with 13 total tackles, followed by Gibson James with 12 and Carson Haylett and Tayte Waddell with 11 apiece. Kaden Cutler and Rylen Dickey each recorded a tackle for loss, while Waddell and Evan Foley each recorded half a sack. Special teams also contributed, with Cutler averaging 42 yards on two punts and Wright adding a 16-yard punt return. The Quincy JV team also opened its season with a victory over Maple Valley, earning a 26-6 win. With the victory, the Orioles begin the 2026 season 1-0. Quincy will travel to East Jackson on Thursday night for its next matchup as the Orioles look to build on their season-opening victory.