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.
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