GACC falls to Burwell in State Championship Game

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Cayden Owens ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more, leading unranked Burwell to its first state football championship with a 47-18 victory over No. 2 Guardian Angels Central Catholic in the Class D1 final Monday.

The Longhorns led 20-0 after one. Both teams scored 6 second quarter points, and the halftime score was 26-6 in favor of Burwell.

The Bluejays won the third quarter 6-0 to make it a 26-12 game at the end of three.

The Longhorns outscored GACC 21-6 in the fourth quarter to make up the final score.

 

Nolan Plagge hit 14 of 28 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked four times. 

Andrew Guenther hauled in 3 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown while Kobe Slaughter made 5 catches for 96 yards. Cole Kreikemeier added 74 yards receiving on 4 receptions.

Jared Minnick was held to 31 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. 

Connor Klitz led the way in tackles with 23 while Gage Herbert and Slaughter made 11 apiece. Plagge and Guenther totaled 9 each.

Because of the sacks, the Bluejays had a net minus-32 yards on the ground.

GACC had 289 yards of total offense for the game.

It was a great run for the Bluejays, but GACC ultimately came up short in achieving the ultimate dream.

The Bluejays end the season with a 12-1 record.

It was a wonderful season for GACC. The Bluejays picked up big regular season wins over Clarkson/Leigh, Nebraska City Lourdes, and Pender, just to name a few.

But I thought GACC was at their best in the playoffs, knocking off the likes of Clearwater/Orchard, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Heartland, and Creighton.

The Bluejays beat some great teams and put together some very fine performances all season long, and should be commended and patted on the back for a job well done.

Not many people, including myself, thought GACC would make it as far as they did, but the Bluejays proved a lot of people wrong.

It just goes to show all that matters is what the players and coaches in the locker room think. Everyone worked hard, and it showed throughout the course of the season.

Looking at some season statistics, Plagge finished with nearly 1,800 yards passing with 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Minnick had 1,329 yards rushing with 18 touchdowns while Plagge added 973 yards on the ground with 21 rushing touchdowns.

Kreikemeier finished with 736 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns while Guenther notched 696 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.

Klitz led the way in tackles with 170.

GACC loses some talent in Kreikemeier, Plagge, Sheldon Disher, Herbert, Guenther, Damien Birchem, Slaughter, Klitz, and Danny Wordekemper.

These 9 seniors were so valuable to the Bluejays this year, and were a big reason why GACC had as much success as they did.

Minnick, Nate Yosten, Derek Petz, Michael Baumert, Mitchell Peatrowsky, Ross Klitz, Casey Doernemann, and Jacob Yosten all figure to help make up next year's team.

I think the Bluejays have a chance to have another very good season in 2017 as long as the returning players and newcomers work hard in the offseason, and new players emerge and develop from now until the start of practice in August.

GACC tops Creighton in State Semifinals

Beemer-The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Football team outlasted Creighton 48-44 at home in the State Semifinals Monday night.

Jared Minnick led the Bluejays' rushing attack with 63 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Nolan Plagge added 52 yards on 19 attempts.

Plagge was 6-11 passing for 170 yards passing with two interceptions. Cole Kreikemeier went 1-1 for 54 yards.

Kreikemeier hauled in 6 passes for 139 yards, and scored three touchdowns. Andrew Guenther had 2 catches for 57 yards while Kobe Slaughter hauled in a 55-yard TD pass.

Plagge made 18 tackles while Gage Herbert and Connor Klitz notched 16 and 15, respectively. Casey Doernemann added 9.

GACC amassed 349 yards of total offense, including 220 through the air.

Creighton had 441 yards of total offense, 307 coming on the ground.

Head Coach Dave Ridder.

"We've had this motto all year long...we don't have anybody great, we just have a bunch of kids that love to play together. Great team chemistry. Young kids, they really put in the effort this year. And they play well together. And basically our motto all year has been just ordinary average guys."

The Bluejays (12-0) advance to the Class D-1 State Championship Game against Burwell next Monday at 2:45 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

The Longhorns topped Palmer 26-24 at home in their semifinal game on Monday.

Ridder says his team will approach this game with Burwell just like any other.

"We're just preparing to do as best we can. And the game is whatever happens, happens. And if we win a state championship that's great, but hopefully we can play our best game. We still haven't played our best game yet."

Ridder's seen Burwell play before.

"I did go watch them play last year. They're a tough physical team. So we'll have our work cut out for us again."

Ridder says the Longhorns are talented.

"They like to run the ball a lot, and they're a very physical team. They have a pretty good defense, and their offense is very good. And they're very physical up front with their line, and they have a very good running back. A big kid about 6'1, 205."

The Longhorns will certainly challenge GACC, there's no doubt about it, but time and time again, the Bluejays have rose to the challenge and been successful.

There's no doubt GACC can win again on Monday.

It would be such a special feeling for these players, coaches, and fans to experience another state championship.

I'm honestly excited for the Bluejays to play in another state championship game. This is what these kids have dreamed about their entire lives...playing at Memorial Stadium is a once in a lifetime experience for most teams.

GACC has to take it all in and play their game.

Burwell has more state championship experience from a player standpoint having been there last year, but the Bluejays should still be fine.

I really do think GACC has a good chance to bring home another state championship.

It would be quite the accomplishment for the Bluejays to win another state title, and I definitely think it can happen.

The players just have to be focused for four quarters and play their hearts out.

The higher the stakes, the better it seems GACC plays.

I'm sure there will be some pre/early game jitters and all that goes with playing in a state championship game, but once the Bluejays get all the butterflies out of their system, they should be ready to go.

The game will be carried on 107.9 the Bull.

GACC uses big second half to knock off Heartland in State Quarterfinals

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Football Team advanced to the Class D-1 State Semifinals by defeating Heartland 56-34 at home in the State Quarterfinals Tuesday night.

The Huskies led 14-8 after one and won the second quarter 20-18 to take a 34-26 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays shutout Heartland 16-0 in the third quarter to lead 42-34 at the end of three.

GACC blanked the Huskies 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

Cole Kreikemeier paced the Bluejays with 98 yards rushing on 11 carries, including a score while Jared Minnick had 88 yards rushing on 13 carries, including a score. Nolan Plagge notched 78 yards on the ground on 16 attempts.

Plagge was 10-14 passing with 69 yards and four touchdowns.

Connor Klitz made a game-high 21 tackles while Michael Baumert and Plagge had 15 and 14, respectively. Damien Birchem and Andrew Guenther notched 10 apiece while Kobe Slaughter and Kreikemeier totaled 9 and 7, respectively. 

GACC amassed 415 yards of total offense, including 298 yards on the ground.

Heartland totaled 444 yards of offense, including 306 rushing.

Head Coach Dave Ridder says the Bluejays really came to play in the second half.

"Yeah we had to make some adjustments at halftime defensively, and well we weren't keeping our responsibilities as far as our defensive responsibility. And offensively we decided we needed to run the ball, and run at them, and mix in a little play action pass, and that seemed to work well for us."

GACC outscored Heartland 30-0 in the final 24 minutes after trailing 34-26 at the break.

The Bluejays (11-0) advance to take on Creighton (10-1) at home in the Semifinals on Monday at 6:00 p.m.

Creighton won 90-54 at home over Nebraska City Lourdes in the State Quarterfinals on Tuesday

Ridder says the Bulldogs have a diverse offense.

"It's going to take a great defensive effort because I think they have the number one offensive stats in the state. They pass it well, but they run the ball very well. And they move it around. Their quarterback does an excellent job of distributing the ball."

This game is definitely a battle between two heavyweights. This is a game for men, and for all the marbles.

Everything is on the line in this game. A chance to represent the East at the Class D-1 State Championship game at Memorial Stadium.

It's every players' dream to play at the Huskers' stadium.

Well GACC is now one game away from doing so.

Creighton is a really good team, there's no denying it, but so are the Bluejays.

GACC has defied the odds and played really well this season, and I think they can win on Monday.

It should be a good game. I think the game will come down to the fourth quarter, and perhaps be decided in the final minutes or even seconds.

Every possession, every play is critical and counts,  so the Bluejays have to be focused and locked in on every play.

Emotions will no doubt be running high throughout the game, but GACC has to do their best to remain composed and poised throughout.

The Bluejays can't afford to commit any costly and silly penalties like personal fouls and late hits.

GACC has to be the smarter team and force the Bulldogs to make mistakes.

This should be a great game, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. in Beemer, and the game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull with pregame starting at 5:40.

GACC steamrolls Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family in second round of playoffs

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays advanced to the Class D-1 State Quarterfinals again this year by knocking off Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 53-18 in the second round of the playoffs Wednesday night.

GACC led 14-6 after one and outscored the Bulldogs 18-0 in the second quarter to take a 32-6 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays won the third quarter 8-6 to go up 40-12 at the end of three.

GACC outscored Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 13-6 in the fourth quarter to make up the final score.

Nolan Plagge was 11-19 passing for 175 yards and four touchdowns. Andrew Guenther hauled in 4 passes for 109 yards, and scored once.

Jared Minnick carried the ball 19 times for 183 yards, and scored three times. Plagge had 63 yards rushing on 15 carries, and scored once.

Kobe Slaughter had 13 tackles while Connor Klitz registered 12. Cole Kreikemeier and Michael Baumert totaled 11 apiece while Sheldon Disher and Guenther notched 10 and 8, respectively.

The Bluejays racked up 426 yards of total offense, including 251 on the ground, while the Bulldogs had 257 yards of total offense, all but 11 of the yards coming on the ground.

GACC played very well in this game. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the Bluejays' performance. I thought the game would be much closer than it was.

GACC (10-0) hosts Heartland (9-1) in the State Quarterfinals Tuesday evening.

The Huskies downed East Butler 70-42 at home in the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday.

I must say, I was a little surprised Heartland beat the Tigers the way they did.

And given how well they played against East Butler, I can't say I really know what to expect in this game.

I think things could go either way. Both teams are playing at a really high level right now, and nothing would surprise me at this point.

I can see the Bluejays winning, but I can also see them losing.

It just depends on how well GACC plays and how bad they want it.

The Bluejays have to try and slow down Austin Stuhr, who had 334 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns against East Butler.

Stuhr was pretty much a one man wrecking crew, and is a player GACC has to really focus in on.

The Bluejays' have done a good job of shutting other teams' best players down this year, and you can bet Head Coach Dave Ridder will have a really good game plan.

If GACC can shutdown or at least limit Stuhr, then I think they're going to win, but if Stuhr goes off and has a big game like he did against the Tigers, then the Bluejays could lose.

GACC is in the same spot they were at this time last year...10-0 and in the State Quarterfinals.

I would say last year's team was better than this one is, but I would also say BDS was a better team last year than Heartland is this year.

I fully expect Plagge, Minnick, and Guenther to have big games for the Bluejays.

I think Plagge's passing ability could end up being the deciding factor in this game.

If he can be a threat running and passing the ball, GACC will only be that much stronger.

Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull with pregame at 5:10.

Oakland-Craig ends season with playoff loss to Battle Creek

The Oakland-Craig Knights saw their season come to an end Friday night as they lost 49-21 at Battle Creek.

The game was tied at 7 after one before the Braves outscored the Knights 21-7 in the second quarter to go up 28-14 at halftime.

Both teams scored 7 points in the third quarter, and the score after three was 35-21 in favor of Battle Creek.

The Braves shutout Oakland-Craig 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

Evan Reinert was 12-26 passing for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Garrett Seagren brought in 6 passes for 185 yards, and scored three touchdowns. Kobe Benne hauled in 6 passes for 63 yards.

Hoss Smith had 85 yards rushing on 19 carries while Reinert ran the ball 9 times for 75 yards.

Smith, Zach Ahrens, and Ben Ward made 8 tackles apiece.

This was a really tough loss for the Knights. I thought Oakland-Craig had a pretty good chance to win.

The Knights wrap up the year at 9-2.

It was certainly a season to remember for Oakland-Craig, their biggest wins coming over Crofton, Fremont Bergan, and Doniphan-Trumbull, in my opinion.

This team seemed to rise up to the challenge on a weekly basis, and made the season very memorable for all involved.

Reinert finished up with 1,124 yards passing and 12 touchdowns. Seagren had 775 yards receiving, including 10 touchdowns.

Hoss Smith amassed 1,374 yards on the ground and had 18 touchdowns.

Josh Dixon led the way in tackles with 76 while Smith made 74.

Oakland-Craig loses Smith, Carter Thiele, Ward, Ahrens, Alex Pleuler, Isaiah Larson, Zakk Lierman, and Dixon.

These are very significant losses, but the Knights have to feel good and optimistic about next season given who they return.

Oakland-Craig brings back Seagren, Robby Mayberry, Jared Mulder, Reinert, Benne, Ben Smith, Marcos Quintero, Cole Bures, and Jarron Metzler, among others.

As you can see plenty of talent returns for the Knights, but Oakland-Craig will have to find a replacement for Hoss Smith, and that won't be easy.

Perhaps fans will see the Knights throw the ball a little more next season with Reinert and Seagren both back.

I look for the passing game to sort of carry Oakland-Craig at least in the early part of next season.

All returning players and newcomers have to get faster, bigger, and stronger in the offseason.

It's important for everyone to improve and hone their skills and work hard in the weightroom in order for this program to remain at an elite level.

I feel all the pieces will be in place for the Knights to have another good season in 2017, but there's a lot of work to be done from now until August when practice starts.

Howells-Dodge loses to Lourdes Central Catholic in 2nd round of Playoffs

Howells-Dodge saw their season come to an end Wednesday night as the Jaguars lost 42-36 at Nebraska City Lourdes in the second round of the Class D-1 Playoffs.

The Jaguars led 14-0 after one and 22-14 at halftime after the Knights won the second quarter 14-8. Lourdes also won the third quarter 14-8 to make it a 30-28 game at the end of three.

The Knights outscored Howells-Dodge 14-6 in the fourth quarter.

Here is the scoring recap:

First Quarter

Howells-Dodge 08:11 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 4 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)

Howells-Dodge 06:05 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 50 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #23 Jordon Brichacek good)

Second Quarter

Howells-Dodge 06:13 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 22 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #4 Dax VanLengen good)

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 03:46 #10 Hayden Miller pass complete to #1 Thomas Ragland for 9 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Hayden Miller to Team no good)

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 00:31 #10 Hayden Miller runs for 4 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Hayden Miller to #1 Thomas Ragland good)

Third Quarter

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 11:14 #10 Hayden Miller pass complete to #1 Thomas Ragland for 32 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Hayden Miller to #1 Thomas Ragland good)

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 04:08 #10 Hayden Miller pass complete to #1 Thomas Ragland for 34 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Hayden Miller to Team no good)

Howells-Dodge 01:55 #4 Dax VanLengen pass complete to #23 Jordon Brichacek for 20 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #4 Dax VanLengen to #37 Zach Bayer good)

Fourth Quarter

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 10:27 #10 Hayden Miller pass complete to #1 Thomas Ragland for 21 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #10 Hayden Miller good)

Lourdes Central Catholic H S 06:09 #10 Hayden Miller pass complete to #17 Colter Fulton for 40 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #10 Hayden Miller to Team no good)

Howells-Dodge 04:41 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 2 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)


Dylan Horejsi led the Jaguars with 209 yards rushing on 33 carries and four touchdowns.

Quarterback Dax VanLengen threw two touchdown passes and an interception.

Ely Hendrickson racked up a team-high 13 tackles while Brichacek and Kade Hegemann made 8 apiece. Zach Bayer notched 7.

Howells-Dodge amassed 370 yards of total offense, 236 coming on the ground.

Nebraska City Lourdes had 387 yards of total offense, including 342 rushing.

The Jaguars definitely had their chances, but simply came up short. It was still a really good season for Howells-Dodge though.

The Jaguars end the year at 7-3.

The highlights of the season had to be the wins over East Butler, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, and Clarkson/Leigh.

I thought Howells-Dodge stepped up and did an admirable job in all their big games this year, regardless of if they won or lost.

The teams the Jaguars lost to were and are pretty darn good.

VanLengen had over 1,150 yards passing with 11 touchdowns while Horejsi led the team in rushing with 836 yards and 11 TD's. Brichacek added 775 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Bayer led the way in receiving with 461 yards and 5 touchdowns. Brichacek had 426 yards receiving, including 6 TD's.

Bayer also led the way in tackles with 80 while Hegemann made 76.

A lot of this team is back next year, but Howells-Dodge does say goodbye to Bayer, Tanner Coufal, Brett Fiala, and Marcus Love.

These are significant losses, but the Jaguars have to be thrilled with who all returns next year.

Howells-Dodge brings back the likes of VanLengen, Brichacek, Hegemann, Ryan Macholan, Tristan Kleinschmidt, Hendrickson, Horejsi, Connor Blum, Josh Brester, and Lane Hegemann, among others.

Next year's Jaguars' squad appears to be loaded with talent, and I wouldn't be surprised if Howells-Dodge made another deep run in the playoffs in 2017.

There's a lot of work to be done from now until the start of next season, but you can bet these boys will be hungry and ready for more success next season.

This team was very young and more than played up to their potential this year, in my opinion. The players should be very proud of their efforts as should the coaches, fans, and communities of Howells and Dodge.

You can bet the Jaguars will be back next season. I would say Howells-Dodge has a good chance to make it past the second round of the playoffs next season as long as the returning players and newcomers work hard in the offseason.

Success does not come overnight...it's a process, and these boys just have to take things one day at a time in the offseason, and put in the work necessary to become an elite, championship level team.

Next year's squad is capable of extraordinary things if they play up to their potential again, in my opinion.

Oakland-Craig defeats Doniphan-Trumbull in first round of playoffs

Oakland-Craig advanced to the Class C-2 State Quarterfinals by knocking off Doniphan-Trumbull 26-7 at home in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.

Hoss Smith had 92 yards rushing on 19 carries, including two touchdowns for the Knights (9-1). Evan Reinert was 9-14 passing for 109 yards with a touchdown..

Garrett Seagren hauled in 5 passes for 80 yards.

Oakland-Craig had 313 yards of total offense, including 176 on the ground.

Doniphan-Trumbull totaled 274 yards of total offense, including 171 rushing.

Josh Dixon made 9 tackles while Smith and Ben Ward registered 7 each.

Head Coach Joe Anderson says he's proud of the way his kids played physical football against a great offensive team.

"They just run up and down the field on people. I think they average 430 yards a game, and put up a lot of points. They light up the scoreboard. So our guys really executed well. I thought our DB's played really well. We talked big about not giving up the big play. We've played really well on defense. At times we've kind of been a bend but don't break. And so our defense did a great job of not giving up the big play. And our guys up front did a nice job of stopping the run. But like I said there's just 11 guys flying around playing good team defense, and at the end of the day that's what got it done for us."

The Knights will travel to Battle Creek (8-2) Friday night in a game that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Braves knocked off Sutton 35-0 at home in the first round last week.

Anderson says while making the semis would be nice, his team isn't overlooking Battle Creek one bit.

"To be in the semis for the third year would pretty neat for our program, but we know that it's not going to be an easy challenge. We know if we would find a way to win we would be guaranteed a home game next round, but like I said it's just something you need to play for, it's just a little bit more incentive. But this is probably what I feel like is one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the state in Class C-2 so we know that it's going to be a battle going up there."

The Braves beat the Knights 21-12 in Oakland on September 2nd.

I think Oakland-Craig has a legit shot to knock off Battle Creek this time around though.

The Knights beat the Braves in the playoffs last year after losing to them in the regular season, and I think history can repeat itself.

It's not going to be a cakewalk for Oakland-Craig by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel Battle Creek is beatable.

The whole key to the game is stopping the Braves' run game, in my opinion.

The Knights have to be physical at the line of scrimmage and knock Battle Creek off the ball.

Oakland-Craig has to play with pure desire, determination, toughness, grit, fire, and tenacity.

The Knights have to want it more than the Braves.

I think Oakland-Craig has a fairly good shot to make the state championship again if they can pull this one out against Battle Creek.

Crofton or Valentine await the winner in the semifinals, but the Knights have already beaten the Warriors, and the Badgers are certainly beatable, especially since Oakland-Craig would get them in Oakland.

The higher the stakes, the better it seems like the Knights play, and I look for Oakland-Craig to play well Friday night, particularly on defense.

I think Reinert is going to need to make some plays with his arm and feet, and Smith is going to need to have a big game running the ball as well.

Friday's game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 p.m. on the Bull with pregame starting at 6:40.

Stanton falls to Wilber-Clatonia in first round of playoffs

The Stanton Mustangs lost 21-6 at Wilber-Clatonia in the first round of the Class C-2 Playoffs Friday night.

The Wolverines led 7-0 at halftime by scoring a touchdown in the second quarter after neither team scored in the 1st quarter.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Wilber-Clatonia outscored Stanton 14-6 in the fourth quarter.

Hunter Stallbaum was 7-23 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Henry Bohac hauled in 2 passes for 53 yards.

Bohac led the way with 11 tackles while Mason King made 10. Gannon Tighe notched 9 while Trey Erbst and Gauge Erickson posted 8 each. Myles Nickolite recorded 7.

The Mustangs had just 131 yards of total offense, 117 coming through the air.

The Wolverines notched 322 yards of total offense, 293 coming on the ground.

Stanton did a great job to make the playoffs, but the Mustangs met their match against Wilber-Clatonia.

The Mustangs end the season at 6-4.

It was a solid season for Stanton, and the highlight without a doubt was upsetting Battle Creek in the regular season finale to get into the playoffs.

The Mustangs also had another nice win over Cross County in the regular season.

Stallbaum led the way with 1,171 yards passing and 12 touchdowns. Erbst was the team's leading rusher on the season with 613 yards and six touchdowns.

King had a team-high 138 tackles this year while Dylan Hunt and Bohac made 105 and 103, respectively.

Stanton was solid on both sides of the ball, and did some nice things this season. I'm sure it was nice for the Mustangs to make the playoffs this year after getting left out last year.

Stanton graduates Stallbaum, King, Erbst, Nickolite, Alex Schellpeper, Logan McKeon, Adam Dover, Hunt, Sam Christiansen, Tighe, and Bohac.

That's a lot of significant losses for a team to incur, but the Mustangs will simply have to rely on the returning players and newcomers to lead next year's squad.

Stanton brings back the likes of Erickson, Beau Wilke, and Ashton Flood.

The Mustangs will need to develop some skill position people and linemen in the offseason. I fully expect Stanton to do that though.

I think the Mustangs will find a way to be good again next year. Stanton has been a solid team in recent years, and I look for the Mustangs to find their way again in 2017.

There's a lot of work for the returning players and newcomers to get done, but I'm sure these kids and coaches will work hard and be dedicated in the offseason.

It's important for Stanton to work as hard as possible and go the extra mile though with only 16 teams making the playoffs in Class C-2.

Pender ends year with playoff loss to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family

The Pender Pendragons saw their season come to an end Thursday night as they lost 42-34 st home to Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family in the first round of the D-1 Playoffs.

The Bulldogs led 8-0 after one and shutout Pender 14-0 in the second quarter to take a 22-0 lead into the locker room.

The Pendragons won the third quarter 14-12 to make it a 34-14 game at the end of three.

Pender outscored Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 20-8 in the fourth quarter, but it was to no avail.

Dylan Roth was 12-21 passing for 221 yards with 5 touchdowns and an interception.

James Bensen hauled in 3 passes for 88 yards while Tyler Nelson had 4 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Brady Oliver made 5 catches for 58 yards, and scored twice.

Bensen had 143 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Leland Bowder made 7 tackles.

The Pendragons totaled 409 yards of offense, including 274 through the air.

The defense surrendered 358 yards of total offense, 275 coming on the ground.

I thought Pender did a good job rallying in the second half, but it was just too late for the Pendragons to win.

Pender wraps up the year at 4-5.

I thought the Pendragons would go at least 6-2 again and maybe win the District Title, but Pender didn't do quite as well as I thought they would.

It was still a good season for the Pendragons though, and Pender has a lot to be proud of.

Roth finished the season with almost 1300 yards passing and 22 touchdowns while Bensen rushed for 741 yards, and scored 10 rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, Bowder led the way with 74 tackles on the year while Jesse Thompson made a total of 70.

The win over Wakefield had to be the highlight of the season for the Pendragons. Pender played really well against the Trojans.

The Pendragons graduate Roth, Bensen, Braden Peters, Brayden Bensen, and Bowder.

These five are significant losses, but that's not a lot of seniors to lose.

Pender returns the likes of Thompson, Layne Heese, Jaydon Jump, Jared Tyrrell, Brady Oliver, and Tyler Nelson.

I think the Pendragons have a chance to build on this year's success and have another fine season in 2017.

Pender graduates some of their big gins, but the Pendragons have to be excited about who all comes back.

I look for the returning players and newcomers to come together and maybe form another playoff qualifying team in 2017.

There's a lot of hard work for these players and newcomers to get done in the offseason, but I'm sure everyone will work hard and plug away in some fashion from now until the start of practice in August.