Oakland-Craig loses C-2 State Championship to David City Aquinas

Noah Pelan and Lane Napier combined to rush for 306 yards and three touchdowns, Spencer Maguire connected with Kenton Kobza for a 71-yard TD and No. 3 David City Aquinas defeated No. 6 Oakland-Craig 36-7 in the Class C2 championship game at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday.


Aquinas’ wing-T offense amassed 476 yards as the Monarchs (12-1) won their second straight state title and fourth in five years.

Cole Mitchell completed 17 of 34 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted four times for Oakland-Craig (11-2), which was playing in its first final since 1997. Garrett Seagren caught eight passes for 83 yards and Cody Mace seven for 67.

 

Pelan led the Monarchs with 193 yards on 14 carries, including an 85-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Napier went over 1,000 yards for the season, running for 113 yards on 23 carries.

 

The Knights had an uphill battle in this game. It was a tough go of things for Oakland-Craig from the start. The Knights simply dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of.

 

It was still a great season for Oakland-Craig though. Reaching the State Championship game is a big deal, and the Knights definitely played to their potential this year.

 

Oakland-Craig parts ways with Mitchell, Cody Mallette, Bob Gatewood, Tommy Nelson, Mace, Jon Nickerson, Neil Larsen, Conner Thiele, and Reid Fuerhoff.

 

These nine seniors meant a lot to this program, and the Knights wouldn't have been as good without them, there's no doubt about it.

 

These seniors led this team to a great amount of success this year, and should be commended for their efforts.

 

At the same time, Oakland-Craig has to be excited about what they return next season.

 

Hos Smith, Seagren, Ben Ward, Josh Dixon, and others return for the Knights in 2016.

 

It should be another fine season for Oakland-Craig next year, but the returning players can't become complacent and satisfied with what they did this season.

 

The ultimate goal has to be to win the state championship, and that means the returning players have to work just as hard this offseason as they did last offseason, if not harder.

 

I think the Knights were sort of the Cinderella story in Class C-2 this year. Not many expected Oakland-Craig to earn a berth in the state championship.

 

Teams will be ready for the Knights next year, if they weren't already. That means Oakland-Craig has to bring it night in and night out in 2016 just like they did in 2015.

Oakland-Craig defeats Battle Creek in semifinals to advance to state championship

The Oakland-Craig Knights advanced to the Class C-2 State Championship game with a 27-14 home win over Battle Creek in the semifinals Friday night.

Oakland-Craig started strong, going up 13-0 at halftime.

The Braves battled back, outscoring the Knights 14-6 in the second quarter to make it a 19-14 game at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Oakland-Craig notched 8 fourth quarter points to make up the final score.

Cole Mitchell was 13-19 passing for 231 yards with three touchdowns.

Cody Mace hauled in six passes for 103 yards, including two scores. Zach Ahrens had two catches for 73 yards.

Mitchell rushed for 56 yards on 14 carries, and recorded a touchdown.

Josh Dixon had a game-high 12 tackles while Conner Thiele notched 8. Mitchell, Hos Smith, and Ben Ward each made 7 tackles.

The Knights totaled 314 yards of offense, 231 coming through the air.

Battle Creek amassed 265 yards of offense, including 229 rushing.

This was an absolute great win for Oakland-Craig. Not only did the Knights advance to the state championship, they avenged their only loss of the season.

Oakland-Craig (11-1) takes on David City Aquinas (11-1) in the Class C-2 State Championship game next Tuesday at 2:45 p..m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

The Monarchs have had a fine playoff run of their own, defeating Hastings St. Cecilia 51-7 in the other C-2 semifinal Friday night.

David City Aquinas is obviously very good, and I'm sure mostly everybody figured they would reach the state championship game again.

I think the Knights making the state title game is a surprise to many. It's not a surprise to these kids, coaches, and fans though I'm willing to bet.

This team has believed all season long, and has continued to get better each week, and all their hard work paid off Friday night in the win over the Braves.

Oakland-Craig has to savor the moment of being in the state championship game. The Knights definitely want to win the game, but making it to the state championship is quite an accomplishment in itself for this team.

Oakland-Craig has to play the same brand of football they have all season long.

I was quite impressed with the Knights' passing game Friday night. Smith was shutdown, but Mitchell showed this team can throw the ball, slinging the ball around the yard the way he did.

Oakland-Craig is a team to be reckoned with, and shouldn't be under estimated or counted out against the Monarchs.

Listen to next Tuesday's game on 107.9 the Bull. Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m.

GACC falls to BDS to end year

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays saw their season come to an end last Tuesday evening as they fell 36-16 at home to BDS in the state quarterfinals.

The Eagles led 8-0 at the end of one and won the second quarter 12-8 to lead 20-8 at halftime.

BDS added 16 third quarter points to go up 36-8 at the end of three.

GACC scored their final points of the year in the fourth quarter.

Nolan Plagge was 8-19 passing with 113 yards, including a touchdown and three interceptions.  Tanner Ortmeier caught three passes for 74 yards, and scored a touchdown.

Tanner Hass had 96 yards rushing on 14 carries, scoring once.

The Bluejays totaled 243 yards of offense, including 130 on the ground.

The season didn't end the way or in the fashion GACC was hoping for, that's for sure. The Eagles are a good team that totally took the Bluejays out of their game.

GACC ends the year at 10-1.

Despite the fact the Bluejays came up short of reaching their goal of winning the state title, it was still a good season.

GACC had nice wins over High Plains Community and Pender in the regular season, and rolled Mead and Bloomfield in the postseason.

I honestly expected more out of the Bluejays against BDS, but the Eagles had all the answers last Tuesday in Beemer.

GACC loses a number of very talented seniors, including Noah Kreikemeier, Brandon Hass, Tanner Hass, Colin Wooldrik, Zach Kaup, Austin Duhsmann, Eric Klitz, Robert Schmaderer, Jordan Peatrowsky, Luke Gnad, Justin Watson, Ortmeier, and Josh Baumert.

These 13 seniors meant a lot to Bluejay football over the course of their careers, and should be proud of all they accomplished.

Next year's team will no doubt be led by Plagge, Kobe Slaughter, Jacob Yosten, Andrew Guenther, and others.

I don't know if GACC will be as good next year as they were this year, but I still expect the Bluejays to be competitive and make the playoffs.

GACC puts a quality team out on the field year and year out, and I look for next year to be no exception.

Look for Bluejay football to be strong once again in 2016.

Oakland-Craig picks up playoff win at Gibbon

The Oakland-Craig Knights picked up a big win at Gibbon Friday night, winning 27-7 in the state quarterfinals.

Oakland-Craig led 6-0 at the end of one and won the second quarter 15-7 to take a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

The Knights added 6 third quarter points. The Buffaloes were held scoreless in the second half.

Here is the scoring summary for both teams:

First Quarter Summary

OC- 46 Yard pass from Cole Mitchell to Cody Mace (Run Failed)

Second Quarter Summary

OC- 69 Yard pass from Cole Mitchell to Seagren (Mace Kick)
Gib- 2 Yard run by Wyatt Kee (Escandon Kick)
OC- 3 Yard run by Hoss Smith (Run by Mitchell)

Third Quarter Summary

OC- 12 yard pass from Mitchell to Mace (Kick Failed)

Smith rushed for 115 yards on 31 carries, and scored once.

Mitchell was 14-20 passing for 257 yards with three touchdowns. Garrett Seagren hauled in four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Cody Mace made 6 receptions for 98 yards, and scored twice.

Conner Thiele made 14 tackles while Tommy Nelson totaled 9.

The Knights amassed 385 yards of offense, including 257 through the air.

The defense allowed 208 yards, 190 coming on the ground.

Oakland-Craig played a great game Friday night. Gibbon was without their starting quarterback, but the Knights still took it to the Buffaloes regardless.

Oakland-Craig (10-1) battles Battle Creek (11-0) in the state semifinals Friday night in Oakland.

The Braves defeated the Knights 41-12 back on September 4th. Head Coach Joe Anderson says things are different now than they were then. "Yeah, that was second game of the year. We had a whole new offensive line. And obviously they've improved a ton since that second week. They've gelled together a little bit. They're a big, physical team too so we got our work cut out for us. But in that game it was 14-6 at halftime, so we were in it. And it was a really hot night. And they're big and physical. They really wore us down. I think it was a 95 degree night. That second half they really wore us down. So hopefully we're in a little better shape. I think we're a little bit better a tackling team. I think we've developed a little bit more depth for this time of year. And we're going to turn it loose. No holding anything back now. And so like I said our passing game is clicking a lot better than it was at that time. And like I said we got a lot of weapons out there. So they're a ball control team, and we're going to have to stop the run again. And we're going to have to mix it up on offense. So like I said defensively they're really strong, and it will be a tough task, but hey it's a home game, and I know our kids number one goal is lets get back home, and get to play in front of fans one more time."

I think Friday night's game will definitely be closer than the regular season game was.

Oakland-Craig has made a lot of strides since that game, and is district champs.

This is for all the marbles. A chance to play at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. It doesn't get any better than that if you're a high school football player.

The Knights have to get fired, jacked, and psyched up for this game. This is winner take all, and Oakland-Craig has to rise up to the occasion and give it everything they got.

I definitely think the Knights can win, but it's going to be tough. I'm going to say it's going to be a close game either way.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull. Pregame is set for 6:40.

Guardian Angels Central Catholic rolls Bloomfield

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays rolled to another big playoff win Wednesday evening as they won 74-6 at Bloomfield in the second round.

GACC led 26-0 at the end of one and outscored the Bees 26-0 in the second quarter to lead 52-0 at halftime.

The Bluejays shutout Bloomfield 14-0 in the third quarter to go up 66-0 at the end of three.

GACC won the fourth quarter 8-6.

Here is the scoring summary for both teams:

First Quarter Summary

GACC 8:02 Tanner Haas 44 Yard TD Run (0-6)
GACC 7:14 Erik Klitz 1 Yard TD Run (Haas PAT Run) (0-14)
GACC 5:13 Tanner Haas 25 Yard TD Run (0-20)
GACC 3:31 Cole Kreikemeier 32 Yard TD Pass to Haas (0-26)

Second Quarter Summary

GACC 11:05 Tanner Haas 37 Yard TD Run (0-32)
GACC 6:14 Nolan Plagge 11 Yard TD Run (0-38)
GACC 4:31 Andrew Guenther 62 Yard Punt Return (Haas PAT) (0-46)
GACC 0:52 Tanner Haas 56 Yard TD Run (0-52)

Third Quarter Summary

GACC 10:07 Nolan Plagge 45 Yard TD Run (Plagge PAT) (0-60)
GACC 6:09 Cole Kreikemeier 45 Yard TD Pass to Tanner Ortmeier (0-66)

Fourth Quarter Summary

BHS 6:00 Tyler Holz 57 Yard TD Run (6-66)
GACC 4:10 Mitch Haas (Cole Kriekemeier PAT) (6-74)

Hass had 202 yards rushing with four touchdowns on 10 carries. Nolan Plagge rushed for 69 yards on 8 attempts, and scored twice. Mitchell Hass added 69 yards rushing on 4 carries, and scored once.

Cole Kreikemeier was 2-3 passing for 76 yards with two touchdowns. Tanner Ortmeier had two catches for 68 yards, scoring once.

Ortmeier and Luke Gnad racked up a game-high 9 tackles while Brandon Hass had 8. Tanner Hass and Jordan Peatrowsky each totaled 7.

The Bluejays totaled 456 yards of offense, including 341 on the ground.

The defense gave up 128 yards, 69 coming on the ground.

This was yet another dominant performance from GACC. The Bluejays have been on a mission to win a state championship, and Bloomfield was just another team in their way of doing so.

GACC (10-0) hosts BDS (10-0) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The Eagles defeated Neligh-Oakdale 42-7 in the second round on Tuesday, and are the defending state runner-ups.

BDS beat the Bluejays 44-40 in the semifinals last year, and I don't think there's any doubt GACC wants payback.

This is an absolutely huge matchup with so much on the line.

This could easily be a semifinal or state title game matchup, yet the two teams are meeting in the quarterfinals.

One team is going to go home disappointed while the other is going to be jubilant and move on to the next round.

The Bluejays have to come prepared and ready to play their best game of the season.

The Eagles are no doubt the best team GACC has faced all season, and the Bluejays have to practice well from now until the day of the game, and continue to improve everyday.

This is a season defining game for GACC. The Bluejays will be remembered by how they do in this game.

It's do or die for GACC. It's win or go home for the Bluejays. GACC has to rise up to the occasion and play their hearts out Tuesday night.

The Bluejays have to play their best game of the season, and go hard on every play. GACC has to really make this one count if they want to get to the state championship and win it.

Tuesday night's kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. Pregame is set for 5:40 on 107.9 the Bull, where the game can be heard.

Clarkson/Leigh's season ends with playoff loss to Creighton

Clarkson/Leigh's season to remember came to an end Wednesday evening as the Patriots lost 52-12 at Creighton in the second round of the playoffs.

The Bulldogs led 14-6 at the end of one and outscored Clarkson/Leigh 14-6 in the second quarter to take a 28-12 lead into the locker room.

Creighton shutout the Patriots 18-0 in the third quarter to go up 46-12 at the end of three.

The Bulldogs won the fourth quarter 6-0.

Kobe Paprocki had 103 yards rushing on 24 carries, and scored once.

Bradley Bunner made a team-high 11 tackles while Seth Thompson and Tyrell Pokorney had 8 apiece.

Clarkson/Leigh totaled 244 yards of offense, 195 coming on the ground.

It was a very good season for the Patriots, who finished 8-2. The only disappointment of the season, in my opinion, was the loss to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, otherwise Clarkson/Leigh did some amazing things this season.

The big win over Howells-Dodge is something these players will no doubt remember for a long time. The Patriots posted some big wins this season.

Ben McMullin, Paprocki, Thompson, Colby Becker, Brandon Steffensmeier, Dominik Harper, Jake Paprocki, Tony Cuyler, Pokorney, Shane Svoboda, Brody Boyd, and Kolton Held are all lost to graduation.

12 seniors is quite a bit to lose for an 8-man team, and these 12 seniors meant a lot to this year's team for sure.

Bunner, Jacob Gall, Garrett Sayers, Tony Bruhn, and others return for Clarkson/Leigh next season.

The Patriots don't have a ton of returning talent as a lot of it is lost, but they still have Bunner, and he should help shoulder the load for this team next season.

It will be difficult for next year's team to duplicate what this year's team did, but a foundation for success has been laid by this year's senior class.

Clarkson/Leigh had about as good a season as they could have this year, and there's a lot for future teams to live up to.

I'm sure the Patriots wish they could have advanced farther in the playoffs, but it's just how things go sometimes. I think Clarkson/Leigh was better than a second round playoff team, but they had a really tough task in trying to beat Creighton. I think this team was easily a quarterfinal team, but they drew a low seed, and that made things difficult. 

Oakland-Craig defeats Omaha Brownell-Talbot in the first round of playoffs

The Oakland-Craig Knights jumped out to a big lead Friday night en route to a 40-7 home win over Omaha Brownell-Talbot in the first round of the playoffs.

Oakland-Craig led 20-0 at the end of one. The Raiders won the second quarter 7-6 to make it a 26-7 game at halftime.

The Knights outscored Omaha Brownell-Talbot 14-0 in the third quarter to make up the final score. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Hos Smith ran the ball 17 times for 145 yards, and scored twice.

Cole Mitchell was 7-16 passing for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Zach Ahrens caught 4 passes for 68 yards, and scored twice.

Tommy Nelson made 9 tackles while Josh Dixon and Conner Thiele totaled 8 and 7, respectively.

Oakland-Craig notched 348 yards of offense, 204 coming on the ground.

The Knights played a great game Friday night. Oakland-Craig got out to the type of lead they needed to, and never looked back.

The Knights (9-1) battle Gibbon (10-0) on the road Friday evening in the quarterfinals.

The Buffaloes downed Bridgeport 33-8 in the first round of the playoffs this past Friday, and appear to be really good.

Gibbon hasn't really been challenged so far this season. The Buffaloes haven't been in a close game all year.

This is going to be a really tough game for Oakland-Craig, but there's no doubt in my mind the Knights can get the job done.

I look at this game the way I looked at the North Platte St. Pat's game a year ago.

A trip out west against a tough team, and another chance to come away with another tough win.

I think Oakland-Craig's experience of going on the road and defeating the Irish last year will definitely benefit this year's team as they try and do the same thing against the Buffaloes.

Smith and Mitchell need to have big games for the Knights, and Oakland-Craig needs to play well as a team.

Getting off to a fast start is important as is finishing strong.

The Knights have to play a tough, physical brand of football for four quarters, and show Gibbon what Northeast Nebraska Football is all about.

I don't think the Buffaloes have faced as good a team as Oakland-Craig this season.

Friday evening's game should be an interesting and entertaining one.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with pregame at 6:10.

Guardian Angels Central Catholic steamrolls Mead

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays appeared to be in championship form Thursday night as they blew out Mead 76-12 at home.

GACC led 30-0 at the end of one and outscored the Raiders 30-6 in the second quarter to go up 60-6 at halftime.

The Bluejays won the third quarter 16-6 to make up the final score. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Tanner Hass had 9 carries for 227 yards and 5 touchdowns. Nolan Plagge ran the ball five times for 108 yards.

Plagge was 2-5 passing for 94 yards with two touchdowns. Tanner Ortmeier was on the receiving end of everything.

Luke Gnad finished with 16 tackles while Josh Baumert had 11. Mitchell and Tanner Hass, Ortmeier, and Jacob Yosten each totaled 7.

GACC totaled 582 yards of offense, 488 coming on the ground.

The defense gave up only 95 yards, including 100 rushing.

This was a dominant performance from the Bluejays. GACC was definitely in state championship form, and left no doubt against Mead whatsoever.

The Bluejays (9-0) travel to Bloomfield (6-3) in the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday.

The Bees beat Nebraska City Lourdes 80-48 in the first round on the road.

Bloomfield got better as the year went on as they won their final four regular season games after starting the year 1-3. The Bees have won five in a row.

With that said, Bloomfield hasn't faced anyone as good as GACC, in my opinion.

The Bees lost 58-8 to Creighton, 30-8 to Howells-Dodge, and 32-18 to Pender if that tells you anything.

The Bluejays blew out the Jaguars and Pendragons, and could very well meet the Bulldogs in the semifinals.

However, it's the playoff and anything can happen. It's a new season, and Bloomfield proved that with their resounding win over Nebraska City Lourdes.

Each round gets a little bit tougher, and that means GACC has to raise their level of play even more this time around.

I don't know if the Bluejays can play much better than they are right now, but GACC has to continue to work hard everyday at practice and continue to get better.

The Bluejays can't take the Bees for granted.

GACC could end up hosting BDS in the quarterfinals, but the Bluejays have to be focused on Bloomfield on Wednesday.

I think GACC wins going away once again, setting up a showdown with the Eagles in Beemer next Tuesday.

Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. The game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with pregame at 5:40.

Clarkson/Leigh doubles up Diller-Odell

The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots started off slow against Diller-Odell in the first round of the playoffs Thursday evening, but turned things up in the second half and won going away 52-26.

The Griffins led 19-14 at the end of one and won the second quarter 7-6 to take a 26-20 lead into the locker room.

Clarkson/Leigh exploded for 32 third quarter points to go up 52-26 at the end of three. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Kobe Paprocki had 167 yards rushing on 17 carries, including three touchdowns. Bradley Bunner amassed 141 yards on 28 carries, including two scores.

Bunner totaled 16 tackles while Seth Thompson and Tony Cuyler notched 11 and 8, respectively.

The Patriots totaled 391 yards of offense, 361 coming on the ground.

It was a great third quarter and second half performance by Clarkson/Leigh. The Patriots showed how good they can be when they're on.

Clarkson/Leigh (8-1) takes on Creighton (9-0) on Wednesday in the second round of the playoffs in Creighton.

The Bulldogs defeated Fullerton 66-0 in the opening round, and have only been challenged once or twice this season.

Wakefield gave Creighton a game so the Patriots definitely have to feel they are capable of knocking off the Bulldogs.

Clarkson/Leigh has to play the way they did against Diller-Odell in the third quarter for the entire game on Wednesday.

The Patriots have to be able to run the ball well with Paprocki and Bunner, and the defense must step up and make big stops and create turnovers.

This is no doubt going to be Clarkson/Leigh's toughest game of the season. The Bulldogs are undefeated, but I'm sure the Patriots feel they should also be 9-0, and they easily could be.

Clarkson/Leigh really has nothing to lose in this game. The Patriots have to play loose and optimistic on Wednesday.

Clarkson/Leigh isn't expected to win this game. Creighton is the team who is supposed to win and advance. To me that means all the pressure is squarely on the Bulldogs.

If the Patriots are on top of their game for four quarters, and get some things to go their way, they may be able to win. It's going to take a lot for Clarkson/Leigh to win though. Creighton is the real deal.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

Howells-Dodge falls to High Plains Community in first round of playoffs

The Howells-Dodge Jaguars saw their season come to an end on Thursday as they fell 84-40 at High Plains Community in the first round of the playoffs.

Howells-Dodge led 22-20 at the end of one, but the Storm outscored the Jaguars 32-6 in the second quarter to lead 52-28 at halftime.

High Plains Community shutout Howells-Dodge 16-0 in the third quarter to lead 68-28 at the end of three.

The Storm won the fourth quarter 16-12.

Here is the scoring summary for both teams:

First Quarter Summary

High Plains Community School 10:26 #45 Josh Demers runs for 16 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #80 Omar Ramirez good)
High Plains Community School 06:48 #3 Thomas Young runs for 9 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #80 Omar Ramirez good)
Howells-Dodge 06:34 #10 Tyler Polacek runs for 65 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #23 Jordon Brichacek no good)
High Plains Community School 05:46 #45 Josh Demers runs for 65 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #80 Omar Ramirez no good)
High Plains Community School 02:09 #3 Thomas Young runs to the Storm 27 for 0 yards. Fumble! (#64 Ryan Macholan) Recovered by #10 Tyler Polacek. (Two point conversion run by #23 Jordon Brichacek good)
Howells-Dodge 00:02 #10 Tyler Polacek runs for 3 yards. Touchdown! Penalty: defensive face mask for 15 yards. (Two point conversion run by #10 Tyler Polacek good)

Second Quarter Summary

Howells-Dodge 11:53 #10 Tyler Polacek pass complete to #30 Luke Renter for 22 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #15 Tyler Brichacek no good)
High Plains Community School 10:29 #3 Thomas Young pass complete to #45 Josh Demers for 40 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #3 Thomas Young to #6 Kyler Van Housen good)
High Plains Community School 05:15 #3 Thomas Young runs for 20 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #45 Josh Demers good)
High Plains Community School 03:15 #3 Thomas Young runs for 6 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #3 Thomas Young good)
High Plains Community School 01:41 #45 Josh Demers runs for 60 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #3 Thomas Young to #9 Kyler Stevens good)

Third Quarter Summary

High Plains Community School 10:21 #45 Josh Demers runs for 53 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #3 Thomas Young good)
High Plains Community School 03:15 #45 Josh Demers runs for 6 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #3 Thomas Young to #6 Kyler Van Housen good)

Fourth Quarter Summary

Howells-Dodge 11:10 #10 Tyler Polacek pass complete to #37 Zach Bayer for 33 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #23 Jordon Brichacek no good)
High Plains Community School 10:18 #45 Josh Demers runs for 48 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #3 Thomas Young to #9 Kyler Stevens good)
Howells-Dodge 04:49 #30 Luke Renter runs for 1 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Tyler Polacek to Team no good)
High Plains Community School 04:08 #3 Thomas Young pass complete to #9 Kyler Stevens for 65 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #45 Josh Demers no good)

Polacek had 140 yards rushing on 17 carries, including two touchdowns. Renter carried the ball 17 times for 81 yards, and scored once.

Polacek was 8-17 passing for 116 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Zach Bayer led the way with 9 tackles while Polacek made 8.

The Jaguars amassed 377 yards of total offense, including 256 rushing.

The defense surrendered 592 yards of offense, 405 coming on the ground.

It was definitely a tough way for Howells-Dodge to end the season, which was no doubt not as good as the Jaguars were hoping for.

I would have never thought Howells-Dodge would finish the season 3-6, but that's what happened, and there's certainly a lot of work to be done before the start of next season.

Polacek, Tyler Brichacek, Gavin Hays, Renter, Tyler Payton, Mitchell Prusa, Justin Bazata, Darren Hegemann, Nolan Lund, and Mitchell Brester are all lost to graduation.

The Jaguars return Dax VanLengen, Jon Yosten, Kade Hegemann, Jordan Brichacek, Tanner Coufal, Bayer, Ryan Macholan, Luke Larson, and others. 

There's certainly plenty of talent returning for Howells-Dodge, but there's a lot of talent lost as well.

Polacek, Renter, and Prusa are the biggest losses, in my opinion.

All three made play after play for this year's team, and made a significant impact in their senior season.

There's a lot of work for next year's team to get done before the start of next season. Next year's team has to be mentally tougher, and has to be prepared to play week in and week out.

I didn't feel like this year's team was as ready to play in some games as they should have been. The Jaguars came ready to play against Bloomfield and Fullerton, but other than that Howells-Dodge played subpar football.

It will be interesting to see if next year is any better for the Jaguars.

Pender ends year with loss to Neligh-Oakdale

The Pender Pendragons saw their season come to an end Thursday night as they fell 75-32 at Neligh-Oakdale in the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors led 14-0 at the end of one and outscored Pender 28-16 in the second quarter to go up 42-16 at halftime.

The Pendragons won the third quarter 8-7 to make it a 49-24 game at the end of three.

Neligh-Oakdale put up 26 fourth quarter points compared to 8 for Pender.

Dylan Roth was 12-34 passing for 119 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Shay Messerlie rushed for 98 yards on 20 carries, and scored three touchdowns. James Bensen carried the rock 14 times for 81 yards.

Roth and Bensen had 9 and 8 tackles, respectively.

The Pendragons amassed 354 yards of offense, including 235 rushing.

The defense gave up 514 yards, 291 coming through the air.

Pender certainly struggled to stop the Warriors, but what a fine season the Pendragons had.

Pender had a much better season this year than last as they went 6-3.

I'm not totally shocked the Pendragons lost to Neligh-Oakdale given their playoff inexperience. I thought the game would be closer, but credit the Warriors for bringing it for four quarters.

This Pender team figures to be back better than ever in 2016 as the Pendragons lose just four seniors in Gerrit Follmer, Messerlie, Kolton Lehmkuhl, and Devin Soll.

These four players are significant losses as they contributed a lot to the team this year and in past years, but Pender has to be excited about who they bring back.

Roth, Bensen, Leland Bowder, Jesse Thompson, and others return for this Pendragons' team.

Pender should be solid in the pass and run game once again.

The Pendragons' defense was exploited against some of the tougher teams on their schedule. Pender could definitely improve defensively so they can stop the big boys more often when they play them.

This team has worked so hard the last two or three years, and it's going to take even more hard work to sustain more success in the future.

This year's team changed the culture and landscape of Pender football, and now the returning players and newcomers need to build off that and leave their own mark on this program.

It's one thing to have a good year, it's another to sustain success for years to come. It will be interesting to see if Pender football can be as good next year as it was this year, and perhaps be even better.

I look for the Pendragons to come back with a vengeance and be hungry given the way they lost to Neligh-Oakdale. I look for Pender to have another fine season in 2016, and perhaps take that next step and win a playoff game or two. We will know more about this team next fall.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast loses to Lawrence-Nelson to end season

The Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars competed hard against Lawrence-Nelson in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday, but lost 38-22.

The game was tied at 8 at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. The Raiders exploded for 24 third quarter points and held Lyons-Decatur Northeast to 6 to lead 32-14 at the end of three.

The Cougars won the fourth quarter 8-6.

Marcus Hegy rushed for 138 yards on 31 carries, and scored twice. Montana Riecken ran the ball 28 times for 66 yards.

Riecken was 10-15 passing for 157 yards with a touchdown. Jon Christiansen hauled in four passes for 71 yards. Tyler Kroger had 51 yards receiving on two catches, and scored a touchdown.

Bren Shatto and Tyler Hardeman made 9 tackles each while Riecken notched 7.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast racked up 362 yards of total offense, 205 coming on the ground.

The Cougars gave Lawrence-Nelson all they could handle. Lyons-Decatur Northeast has absolutely nothing to feel terrible about.

The Cougars finish the 2015 campaign with a 5-4 record.

It was a good final season for the Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars. This team really upped their game after the first few games of the season, and went on to do some nice things.

I think Lyons-Decatur Northeast maximized their abilities in the middle to late part of the season, and didn't necessarily save their best for last, but the Cougars still played at a high level at the end of the year.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast says goodbye to Hegy and Jayden Vetick.

These two seniors meant a lot to this year's team, and there's no doubt the Cougars would not have been as good without them.

Look for Christiansen, Riecken, Benny Estrada, Hardeman, Shatto, and Kroger to make a big impact on the co-op team next year.

A lot of Lyons-Decatur Northeast players should start on next year's co-op team with Bancroft-Rosalie.

At this time next year the Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Wolverines will be in full effect.

The Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars made some memories and no doubt made their communities proud by the way they played this season.

It was a good way for Lyons-Decatur Northeast to go out as a program.

Now it will be interesting to see if the co-op team can continue the success both Bancroft-Rosalie and Lyons-Decatur Northeast have had in recent years.