Pender upsets GACC in 1st round of Playoffs

Beemer-A week after losing 64-50 to GACC in the regular season finale, The No. 14 seed in Class D-1, the Pender Pendragons, upset the 3rd seeded and previously unbeaten Bluejays, 52-50,  in the 1st round of the High School Football playoffs in Beemer Thursday night.

The Bluejays got the scoring started at the 4:58 mark of the 1st quarter as Jared Minnick broke free for 70 yards to give GACC an 8-0 advantage.

Minnick scored his 2nd rushing touchdown from 35 yards out with 3:24 left to go in the opening period, and the Bluejays led 14-0.

Pender got on the board 16 seconds later when Brady Oliver connected with Jared Tyrell on a 62-yard TD pass to make it a 14-6 ball game.

The Pendragons scored on the final play of the 1st quarter when Sam Mailoux hauled in an 11-yard TD pass from Oliver, and Pender trailed 14-12 at the end of one.

GACC started the scoring in the 2nd quarter as Derek Petz connected with Jaden Rahn for 45 yards on a touchdown to put the Bluejays up 20-12 at the 11:06 mark of the 2nd quarter.

Pender tied the game at 20 with 9:34 left to go until halftime as Oliver rumbled into the end zone from 14 yards away.

GACC regained the lead with 8:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter as Petz scored from 2 yards out to give the Bluejays a 28-20 cushion.

Tyrell scored on a 57-yard play with 2:18 left until halftime to trim the GACC lead to 2 at 28-26, which was the halftime score.

No one scored in the 3rd quarter.

In the 4th, Oliver ran in a 5-yard TD to put the Pendragons on top, 32-28, 46 seconds into the quarter.

The Bluejays regained the lead at 34-32 when Cash Meier plunged in from 3 yards away at the 8:57 mark of the final quarter.

Tyrell then hit Tyler Nelson for a 61-yard TD 21 seconds later, and Pender went back up 38-34.

GACC's Noah Hass scored on a 41-yard TD run with 7:52 left to go in the game, and the Bluejays regained the advantage at 42-38.

The Pendragons responded again though as Oliver found Tyrell on a 36-yard TD pass that put Pender ahead again 46-42.

GACC took their final lead of the game with 3:34 remaining when Petz found Rahn from 31 yards away to give the Bluejays a 50-46 lead.

The Pendragons scored the game winning touchdown with 2:47 left to go when Tyrell hit pay dirt on a 28-yard TD pass from Oliver.

Oliver was 18-35 passing for 292 yards and four touchdowns for Pender (4-5) while Tyrell was 1-1 with a 61-yard TD pass.

The Bluejays racked up 453 yards of offense, including 317 rushing, while the Pendragons amassed 442 yards of total offense, including 353 through the air.

Head Coach Andy Welsh credits the o-line and skill position guys. "Yeah we have kids that if we get them in space they can do big things. I mean we saw that tonight. Our linemen coming from last week to this week that was our other big focus is give those guys time. Seal off the blocks. And they played hard today. They blocked well. And good things happen when we get the ball out to those speedy guys out in space."

Welsh says all heck broke loose in the 4th quarter. "Yeah it got pretty crazy there in the 4th quarter. It kind of seemed like whoever had the ball last was going to win. And fortunately for us our defense was able to come up with a stop there. Our defense, we've given up a few points throughout the year to the good teams, and again we did tonight, but when it mattered they came up and they made a couple plays at the end to win the game for us."

The Class D-1 football playoffs continue Wednesday on 107.9 the Bull with a pair of teams that scored upset victories in the first round, as Pender travels to Johnson-Brock.

The 4-5 Pendragons upset then unbeaten GACC 52-50 in a wild shootout, while 5-4 Johnson-Brock handled then 7-1 Heartland 24-6.

Eagles head coach Mitch Roberts says turnovers were a big factor in that game, and he expects them to be a key against Pender, along with limiting big plays from the Pendragons. “Turnovers. We take care of the football and force them into some difficult situations, and then shut down big plays” Roberts said. “That’s a huge part of eight-man football, who has more big plays, we shut theirs down and get a few of our own.”

Welsh says he sees a lot of similarities between the two teams. “We haven’t seen a whole lot of teams this year that spread it out like we do, and that’s exactly what they do,” Welsh said. “Both teams have speed and athleticism on the outside. And obviously record-wise we’re pretty similar. They are extremely fast. Their entire team speed is fast and I just hope we can match up with that.”



Welsh adds the Pendragons are making the most of their playoff opportunity. "We're taking it one game at time. We were happy to get in as a 3-5 team. I feel like maybe we were a bad draw for CC being a 3-5. We played not very good football in the middle of the year when we were missing some players. So we thought we were better than a 3-5 team, and I guess now that we're in the playoffs it's anybody's game."

The two teams have one common opponent in Winnebago, who Johnson-Brock downed 64-28, and Pender lost to 60-42.

I think this will be a great game. Pender really has nothing to lose, and neither do the Eagles really.

This should be a dandy of a game, and if the Pendragons win it, they could host Howells-Dodge in the quarterfinals.

I'm excited for this one. I feel things can go either way.

I would expect nothing less than another barn burner and shootout of a game like the Pender/GACC game.

The Pendragons have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by going down there and picking up a victory.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 Wednesday afternoon with pregame set for 3:40 on 107.9 The Bull.

Howells-Dodge shuts out Clarkson/Leigh in 1st round of Playoffs

The Howells-Dodge Football Team won 46-0 at home over Clarkson/Leigh in the 1st round of the playoffs Thursday night.

Here's the scoring recap from the game:

First Quarter

Howells-Dodge 09:55 #1 Luke Rocheford runs for 57 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)
Howells-Dodge 07:32 #23 Jordon Brichacek runs for 37 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)
Howells-Dodge 01:25 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 10 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #4 Dax VanLengen to Team no good)

Second Quarter

Howells-Dodge 02:16 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 1 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #4 Dax VanLengen to Team no good)
Howells-Dodge 00:15 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 5 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #4 Dax VanLengen to #25 Kade Hegemann no good)

Third Quarter

Howells-Dodge 07:18 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 5 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)

Fourth Quarter

Howells-Dodge 11:52 #10 Darrin Pokorny runs for 11 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #10 Darrin Pokorny no good)

Horejsi had 118 yards rushing on 23 carries with 4 touchdowns for the Jaguars while Rocheford had 64 yards rushing on 2 carries, including a touchdown.

Hegemann made a game-high 17 tackles while Jon Yosten had 15. Carter Throener registered 11 while VanLengen and Connor Blum notched 7 apiece.

Howells-Dodge racked up 310 yards of total offense, including 295 on the ground, while giving up just 48 yards of total offense to the Patriots.

If the Jaguars keep playing defense like that they are going to be very difficult to beat, in my opinion.

Howells-Dodge (9-0) hosts Nebraska City Lourdes (6-3) in the second round of the playoffs Wednesday night.

The Knights won 48-20 at home over Neligh-Oakdale in the 1st round of the playoffs Thursday night.

Nebraska City Lourdes beat the Jaguars 42-36 at home in this very round last year.

I look for Howells-Dodge to turn the tables and exact revenge on the Knights.

This Jaguars' team is better than it was last year, and I don't think Lourdes is nearly as good as they were last year.

I think a strong defense from Howells-Dodge will be the difference in this game.

All things are pointing towards a Creighton/Howells-Dodge Semifinal matchup, but the Jaguars must be focused on the Knights, and must be ready to take care of business Wednesday night.

Howells-Dodge can't get all cocky and complacent. After all, Lourdes ended their season a year ago.

The Jaguars have to be intense, pumped, amped, and fired up, and ready to go Wednesday night.

Howells-Dodge has to be ready to hit hard, and be prepared to play a complete four quarter game.

It's playoff football at Howells, and it simply doesn't get any better than this.

The players, coaches, cheerleaders, parents, and fans all have to be super excited and must create a lot of energy.

Those in the stands have to get behind this team and yell their lungs out, and the players have to be disciplined, listen to their coaches, and execute the game plan, all while feeding off the crowd's energy and enthusiasm.

This is do or die for the Jaguars. If Howells-Dodge loses this game their season and dreams of winning a state championship are gone and dashed.

Take things one day and one game at a time, and focus on the opponent and task at hand. That's what the Jaguars need to do.

Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

Oakland-Craig shutout at home by Yutan in 1st round of playoffs

The Oakland-Craig Football Team lost 25-0 at home to Yutan in the 1st round of the playoffs Friday night.

The Chieftains led 12-0 at the end of one and 19-0 at halftime.

Yutan blanked the Knights 6-0 in the 3rd quarter to go up 25-0 at the end of three.

Neither team scored in the 4th quarter.

Evan Reinert was 8-22 passing for 122 yards with an interception.

Garrett Seagren caught 3 passes for 55 yards.

Seagren also made 8 tackles.

Oakland-Craig racked up 146 yards of offense, including 122 passing.

The defense gave up 496 yards of total offense, 359 of them rushing.

Really tough end to what was a great season for the Knights. Then again Yutan was preseason ranked No. 1.

Oakland-Craig ends the year at 8-2.

It was a very memorable season for the Knights that came to an abrupt end.

I'm sure Oakland-Craig thought they would go farther in the playoffs. I sure did until I saw the Chieftains were the first round opponent.

Oakland-Craig's biggest wins were over Battle Creek, Logan View, Fremont Bergan, and BRLD I would say.

Reinert threw for 1,390 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

Ben Smith was the team's leading rusher wit 517 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Seagren had 906 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns on the year.

The team's leading tackler was Ian Lundquist, who had 55 for the season.

The Knights say goodbye to Seagren, Reinert, Kobe Benne, Smith, Brandon Fentress, and Marcos Quintero.

These 6 seniors are very valuable losses and contributed a lot to Oakland-Craig Football the last four years without a doubt.

Key returners for next year include Robby Mayberry, Garrison Dodge, Jared Mulder, Lucas Hilliard, Lundquist, Jefferson McNeill, Wyatt Uhing, Daniel Sechler, Tyson Harney, Cole Bures, Max Ward, Jarron Metzler, Justyn Hale, Laurence Brands, and Wyatt Seagren.

The Knights bring back a lot of talent and experience on the line and at linebacker, and at the skill positions it appears.

It also appears Oakland-Craig has some guys waiting their turn that could get starting nods next year.

So the Knights should simply be reloading and should go on to have another great season in 2018.

With a lot of hard work, determination, and effort in the offseason in the weightroom and on the playing field, Oakland-Craig should be bound and determined for another playoff run next season.

You can bet the Knights will be back and stronger than ever in 2018.

Logan View loses to Centennial in 1st round of Playoffs

Utica-The Logan View Football Team lost 28-13 at Centennial in the first round of the C-2 playoffs Friday night.

The Broncos struck first as Gavin Avery ran in a touchdown from 15 yards out to give Centennial a 7-0 advantage with 5:15 remaining in the opening period.

The Raiders knotted the game up at 7 with 2:44 remaining in the opening frame as Nathan Taylor hauled in a 14-yard TD pass from Nolan Miller.

Avery scored from a yard out with 11:27 left in the 2nd quarter to put the Broncos back in front 14-7.

Avery scored his 3rd rushing touchdown from 49 yards away at the 7:51 mark of the 2nd period to give Centennial a 21-7 advantage.

Logan View closed within 8 at 21-13 after Brady Hull scored on an 8-yard TD run with 7:33 left to go in the 3rd quarter.

The Broncos' Wyatt Ehlers scored from 2 yards out at the 3:44 mark of the 3rd quarter to make up the final score.

Jacob Polk was 9-16 passing for 118 yards and two interceptions for the Raiders while Hull had 68 yards rushing on 22 carries, including a touchdown.

The Broncos amassed 361 yards of offense, including 194 through the air, while Logan View racked up 220 yards of offense, 132 of them passing.



I thought the Raiders competed well, but just not well enough to win.

The Raiders end the 2017 campaign with a record of 6-4.

It was a good season for Logan View, in my opinion.

The Raiders upset Yutan early in the season, and reached the playoffs in Dustin Sealey's 2nd year.

I would say that's progress and growth made as a program.

Logan View says goodbye to Polk, Miller, Taylor, Brandon Hagerbaumer. and Jayvin Benavente.

At least four of these players are key losses, but the Raiders have to be excited about who they bring back and inherit from Scribner-Snyder.

Logan View will be known as Logan View/Scribner-Snyder after this year, and so players will have to adjust and adapt to their new teammates.

Key returners from Logan View include Martin Valencia, Connor Larson, Hull, Jadin Beckwith, Eric French, Brett Uhing, Nathan Wacker, Lucas Schneck, Alex Miller, and Hunter McNulty.

The Raiders should be locked and loaded, and ready to go next season.

I look for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder to have a nice offseason, and grow and mature as players and as young men.

The Raiders will have to break in a new quarterback, but I look for someone to step up and take control of the reigns for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

The Raiders are now on the map and are well on their way to becoming an established power I would say.

I think Logan View/Scribner-Snyder will continue to win and be really good as long as Sealey is there.

The Raiders will be back in the thick of the playoffs next year I would say.

Things figure to get a little trickier if Logan View/Scribner-Snyder jumps up to Class C-1, but there's no doubt the Raiders can adjust.

Look for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder to be a force in 2018.

GACC upset by Pender in playoffs

Beemer-A week after losing 64-50 to GACC in the regular season finale, The No. 14 seed in Class D-1, the Pender Pendragons, upset the 3rd seeded and previously unbeaten Bluejays, 52-50,  in the 1st round of the High School Football playoffs in Beemer Thursday night.

The Bluejays got the scoring started at the 4:58 mark of the 1st quarter as Jared Minnick broke free for 70 yards to give GACC an 8-0 advantage.

Minnick scored his 2nd rushing touchdown from 35 yards out with 3:24 left to go in the opening period, and the Bluejays led 14-0.

Pender got on the board 16 seconds later when Brady Oliver connected with Jared Tyrell on a 62-yard TD pass to make it a 14-6 ball game.

The Pendragons scored on the final play of the 1st quarter when Sam Mailoux hauled in an 11-yard TD pass from Oliver, and Pender trailed 14-12 at the end of one.

GACC started the scoring in the 2nd quarter as Derek Petz connected with Jaden Rahn for 45 yards on a touchdown to put the Bluejays up 20-12 at the 11:06 mark of the 2nd quarter.

Pender tied the game at 20 with 9:34 left to go until halftime as Oliver rumbled into the end zone from 14 yards away.

GACC regained the lead with 8:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter as Petz scored from 2 yards out to give the Bluejays a 28-20 cushion.

Tyrell scored on a 57-yard play with 2:18 left until halftime to trim the GACC lead to 2 at 28-26, which was the halftime score.

No one scored in the 3rd quarter.

In the 4th, Oliver ran in a 5-yard TD to put the Pendragons on top, 32-28, 46 seconds into the quarter.

The Bluejays regained the lead at 34-32 when Cash Meier plunged in from 3 yards away at the 8:57 mark of the final quarter.

Tyrell then hit Tyler Nelson for a 61-yard TD 21 seconds later, and Pender went back up 38-34.

GACC's Noah Hass scored on a 41-yard TD run with 7:52 left to go in the game, and the Bluejays regained the advantage at 42-38.

The Pendragons responded again though as Oliver found Tyrell on a 36-yard TD pass that put Pender ahead again 46-42.

GACC took their final lead of the game with 3:34 remaining when Petz found Rahn from 31 yards away to give the Bluejays a 50-46 lead.

The Pendragons scored the game winning touchdown with 2:47 left to go when Tyrell hit pay dirt on a 28-yard TD pass from Oliver.

Minnick, who left the game after getting injured in the 1st half, ran for 117 yards on 5 carries, and scored twice for GACC.

Meier added 110 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries for the Bluejays while Hass carried the rock 4 times for 57 yards, including a touchdown.

Petz was 5-12 for 136 yards with two TD's.



Jadyn Smeal made 11 tackles while Casey Doernemann, Jacob Yosten, and Axcele Biteghe totaled 7 each.

The Bluejays racked up 453 yards of offense, including 317 rushing, while the Pendragons amassed 442 yards of total offense, including 353 through the air.

Head Coach Dave Ridder says the Pendragons' quarterback was on target and injuries forced some of his key players off the field. "They had some key 3rd down conversions. We had them 3rd and long and things like that. And that number 44 did a nice job. They just got the ball up where we weren't. Our kids are 5'8, 5'9, and he's 6'4, or I think so. Bit the quarterback put it where we couldn't get it. And that's just good play, that's nothing against our boys. They were covering and they were doing well. And so honestly I'm not going to fault anybody for their efforts tonight. But sometimes inexperience does get you, and when you lose a couple of your key players and probably an all-state running back."

Ridder on the loss. "They just had a really good night as far as throwing the ball. I don't know what his completion ration was, but did an excellent job with that, and they spread us out and they exposed us in some areas. And our youth kind of showed in the second half. Not so much youth as the inexperience of the type of plays they run. We haven't played a quarterback that's been that accurate for this year obviously. And he was pretty accurate last week, but I think he was even more accurate this week."

GACC ends the year at 8-1.

Ridder says this year's seniors did a lot for Bluejay Football. "Very proud of this senior class, they had a very good career here in 4 years, and I like I told them, I said if this is the worst thing that happened to you kids going through 4 years of good football, you have a pretty good life."

The loss ends GACC's three year streak of making it to the quarterfinals or further in the playoffs.

Minnick getting hurt really made a difference I think.

Not to take anything away from Pender, but if he hadn't gotten hurt, the Bluejays very well could have won.

Minnick finished the year with 1,669 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns. Petz was 40-76 passing for 701 yards with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Smeal led the team in tackles with 71.

Seniors lost to graduation include Rahn, Petz, Yosten, Michael Baumert, and Logan Kreikemeier.

These 5 seniors meant a lot to GACC Football, and will be missed without a doubt.

Key returners include Smeal, Minnick, Mitchell Peatrowsky, Ross Klitz, Doernemann, Andrew Franzluebbers, Aaron Disher, Blake Pojar, and Biteghe.

You can bet the Bluejays will be back next year. GACC was very young this year, and I look for the Bluejays to be even better next year than they were this year.

This loss has to sting, and must be used as motivation to get bigger, faster, stronger, and more physical in the offseason.

GACC has to think of this loss everytime they workout or play the game.

It's something that needs to be on their minds whenever they participate in football related activities between now and August.

I look for the loss to only fuel and motivate the Bluejays this offseason.

I think GACC will come back strong and with a vengeance next season.

Clarkson/Leigh loses to Howells-Dodge in Playoffs

The Clarkson/Leigh Football team saw their season come to an end Thursday night when they lost 46-0 at Howells-Dodge in the first round of the playoffs.

The Jaguars led 20-0 at the end of one, and 32-0 at halftime.

Howells-Dodge blanked the Patriots 8-0 in the 3rd quarter to go up 40-0 at the end of three.

The Jaguars shutout Clarkson/Leigh 6-0 in the 4th quarter.

Cort Pokorney had 11 tackles while Jacob Gall and Hector Mendoza made 10 and 7, respectively.

The Patriots had just 48 yards of total offense while Howells-Dodge amassed 310 yards of total offense, including 295 on the ground.

Difficult end to the season for Clarkson/Leigh. Rematches are always tough though.

The Patriots wrap up the year at 3-6.

Clarkson/Leigh had a tough start to the season, but really picked things up against Omaha Nation I thought.

The Patriots played really good football in the middle part of the season, struggled at the beginning, and stumbled to the finish line you could say.

To make the playoffs for the 6th straight year though is a big deal, and Clarkson/Leigh should be proud of what they accomplished this season.

The Patriots' biggest win of the year came against Neligh-Oakdale without a doubt.

Bruhn led the team in rushing and passing as he ran for 670 yards and 13 TD's, and threw for 352 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Gall led the team in tackles with 82 on the season.

Clarkson/Leigh says goodbye to seniors Haden Held, Tim Zimmerman, Gall, Mendoza, Bruhn, and Alex Machmueller.

These 6 seniors and their contributions to Patriot Football will be missed without a doubt.

Key returners for Clarkson/Leigh next season include Travis Stanley, Lance Paprocki, Lane Kudera, Isaak Wiese, Dillon Knapp, Tommy McEvoy, Douglas Pocasangre, and Kobe Indra.

The future of Patriot Football looks to be really promising as I believe this year's JV team had a successful season.

I look for Clarkson/Leigh to be back better than ever next year, and be ready to make a playoff run in 2018.

I think the Patriots will be better next year than they were this year.

New opponents and a new district likely await Clarkson/Leigh next season, but there's no doubt the Patriots can adjust and adapt, and go on to have a nice year.

Clarkson/Leigh just has to get after things in the offseason, and work hard in the weightroom, on the playing field, and wherever they may do running and agility drills.

The Patriots figure to get bigger, faster, and stronger with a year to grow and mature.

Look for Clarkson/Leigh to be a factor and force to be reckoned with in 2018.

Logan View beats BRLD to reach playoffs

The Logan View Football Team won 21-20 at home against BRLD Friday night to qualify for the playoffs.

Brady Hull had 21 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Polk ran the ball 16 times for 56 yards.

Polk was 2-6 passing for 69 yards with two touchdowns.

Nolan Miller hauled both passes in, scoring both TD's.

Nathan Taylor made 15 tackles while Connor Larson totaled 10. Eric French made 8.

The Raiders tallied 293 yards of offense, including 224 on the ground, while giving up 315 yards of total offense, including 115 rushing.

It's a big deal for Logan View to be in the playoffs, and I'm sure the Raiders are very happy to be there.

Logan View (6-3) takes on Centennial (9-0) on the road in the 1st round of the playoffs Friday night.

The Broncos knocked off Sutton 20-12 at home this past Friday night to close out the regular season.

Centennial is a solid team, but I think the Raiders can go in there and compete and win.

Logan View beat Yutan 27-20 while the Broncos downed the Chieftains 28-25.

Central City defeated the Raiders 44-21 though while Centennial topped the Bison 27-13.

The regular season and scores with common opponents may not mean much, but it's how I am trying to measure these two teams.

It's really hard to say how things are going to go.

Polk and Hull need to be on top of their game for Logan View to be able to win though.

These two need to have huge games for the Raiders, and be lethal weapons.

I think both are capable of going off and doing big things for Logan View, and the Raiders will definitely need their offensive production.

Logan View's defense has to be up to snuff too though.

The Raiders have to try and slow down Wyatt Ehlers and Gavin Avery.

Avery had 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Broncos' win over the Mustangs while Ehlers had 79 yards rushing and a touchdown and 59 yards passing.

Not really numbers that stand out for a team that's the No. 2 seed in the playoffs I would say.

Centennial's offense appears to be solid and efficient, but not anything explosive or anything.

I really think Logan View matches up well with the Broncos, and has a shot to win.

The Raiders have to be confident heading into the game, and must dream and visualize on the bus ride to Utica what it would be like to win.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with pregame at 6:40 on 107.9 the Bull, online at www.kticradio.com, and on the free KTIC Radio App.

Oakland-Craig shuts out Fremont Bergan to win District Title

The Oakland-Craig Football Team won 31-0 at Fremont Bergan Friday night to win District C2-3.

Evan Reinert was 8-16 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Ben Smith rushed for 64 yards on 17 carries.

Ian Lundquist made 8 tackles.

Oakland-Craig had 361 yards of total offense, including 222 on the ground.

The defense held Bergan to 156 yards of offense, including 46 passing.

Great win for Oakland-Craig. An 8-1 regular season and a District Championship is a job well done, in my opinion.

The reward though is Yutan (6-3) in the 1st round of the playoffs at home Friday night.

The Chieftains were the preseason ranked No. 1 team in C-2, and have won their last six contests, including blowout wins over 8-1 Wilber-Clatonia and 7-2 Lincoln Lutheran.

One common opponent is Logan View, who Yutan lost to 27-20 and Oakland-Craig beat 18-14.

The Chieftains lost to them, Battle Creek, and Centennial early though, and appear to be playing better football now than they were then.

So I could definitely see Yutan pulling the upset, but I could also see the Knights winning too.

Reinert, Seagren, Benne, and Smith need to have big games for Oakland-Craig though.

I think the Knights are going to need to have tremendous balance running and throwing the ball, and will need to hit some big plays to win.

Oakland-Craig is making their 10th straight playoff appearance though so don't think the Knights are going to go down easily.

Oakland-Craig is a very tough team, and has been a really tough out the last three years prior to this year.

The Knights had a better overall regular season than the Chieftains, and their only loss came to top seeded Ponca.

This is still going to be a tough game, and is a scary, dangerous, and difficult first round game for Oakland-Craig though as it could be argued that Yutan is playing better football right now.

The Knights have to start and finish strong in particular, but play a full, complete, four quarter game as well.

Oakland-Craig has to stay focused the entire game, and constantly make plays to have success I would say.

Limiting penalties and turnovers will be very important, in my opinion. No silly personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conducts.

There's really not a whole lot of room or margin for error for the Knights in this game I would say.

Oakland-Craig can't afford to play sloppy on offense or defense and shoot themselves in the foot on offense.

The Knights need to play well for 4 quarters to win.

It should be a great game, and I wish Oakland-Craig the best of luck. I hope they win.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Oakland.

GACC records another undefeated regular season and wins District Title with win over Pender

The GACC Football Team capped off an undefeated regular season and another District Championship with a 64-50 win at Pender Thursday night.

The Bluejays led 24-14 at the end of one, and outscored the Pendragons 20-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 44-20 lead into the locker room.

Pender won the 3rd quarter 16-14 to make it a 58-36 game at the end of three.

The Pendragons outscored GACC 14-6 in the 4th quarter.

Jared Minnick had 339 yards rushing on 40 carries, and scored 8 touchdowns....holy moly!!!!!

Derek Petz added 116 yards rushing on 18 carries, and scored once.

Jacob Yosten made 8 tackles.

The Bluejays rolled up 490 yards of total offense, including 466 rushing, while giving up 292 yards of total offense, including 166 on the ground. 

I'm sure GACC would have liked to have been more dominant than they were, but the Blujeays can't complain about an undefeated regular season and a District Championship.

GACC (8-0) hosts Pender (3-5) in a rematch in the 1st round of the playoffs in Beemer Thursday night.

I would say Minnick and Petz need to go off again for the Bluejays, and GACC has to try and slow down and focus on Brady Oliver.

The Bluejays were outplayed in the second half against the Pendragons I would say, and cannot let that happen again.

GACC has to come out determined, focused, and flat out upset given the fact they gave up 50 points to Pender.

Credit the Pendragons for continuing to fight and never giving up, but Pender had not been playing good football leading up to this game.

The Bluejays are better than what they showed Thursday night, in my opinion, and could potentially show that this Thursday night.

I wouldn't be surprised if GACC blows the Pendragons out, but the Bluejays have to come out and be in playoff mode.

GACC has to come out and dominate from start to finish like they are capable of.

The Bluejays have to notch things up a few gears, and play like I know they can.

I feel GACC is better than to give up 50 points to Pender, and quite honestly the Bluejays should be motivated and upset given the fact they allowed that many points to the Pendragons.

Pender finally played up to their potential offensively I would say though so now is the time for GACC to answer and reach their potential defensively.

The Bluejays have a very tough road back to Lincoln, but all GACC can do is take things one game at a time, and go out there and dominate against the Pendragons.

The Bluejays have to get jacked, psyched, pumped, and fired up for Thursday night's game.

It's playoff football in Northeast Nebraska, and this is usually GACC's time of year.

It's time to go out there and show why you are one of the best teams in the State if you are the Bluejays.

GACC has to go out there and take care of business, and send a message to the rest of the playoff field that they are a force to be reckoned with, and will be tough for anyone to beat.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on 107.9 the Bull with pregame at 6:40. The game can also be heard online at www.kticradio.com and with the free KTIC Radio App.

Pender loses shootout to GACC; gets rematch with Bluejays in 1st round of playoffs

The Pender Football Team dropped their last regular season game Thursday night, losing 64-50 at home to GACC.

The Bluejays led 24-14 at the end of one, and outscored the Pendragons 20-6 in the 2nd quarter to take a 44-20 lead into the locker room.

Pender won the 3rd quarter 16-14 to make it a 58-36 game at the end of three.

The Pendragons outscored GACC 14-6 in the 4th quarter.

Brady Oliver was 10-23 passing for 126 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Oliver also had 125 yards rushing on 11 carries, and scored 3 times.

Layne Heese made 18 tackles while Jaydon Jump totaled 14. Oliver and Jesse Thompson made 9 apiece while Korbin Hardenbrook recorded 8.

Pender racked up 292 yards of total offense, including 166 on the ground. The defense surrendered 490 yards of of total offense, including 466 rushing.

The Pendragons hung in there in the 2nd half with the Bluejays. Credit Pender for never giving up.

The Pendragons (3-5) travel to Beemer Thursday night for a rematch with GACC (8-0) in the 1st round of the playoffs.

The Bluejays relied heavily upon Jared Minnick and Derek Petz to shoulder much of the load Thursday night.

With that said, Pender relied a lot upon Oliver.

I think the Pendragons can definitely make this an interesting game to say the least though.

I honestly thought GACC would win rather easily over Pender in the regular season finale, but the Pendragons showed a lot of fight, moxie, and perseverance by fighting and battling the way they did.

It just goes to show that Pender is never going to give up and throw in the towel.

The Pendragons can appear to be down and out of a game, but they will never give up.

At no point Thursday night is this game over. Not with the way Pender scored on the Bluejays this past Thursday night.

The Pendragons have to focus on trying to slow down Minnick and Petz.

If Pender can limit those two then the Pendragons will be in great shape.

Easier said than done though given the way GACC ran the ball on Pender Thursday night.

Minnick had 339 yards and 8 touchdowns in the 1st game between these two teams.

Pender has to do a much better job against him this time around if they want to win.

The Pendragons are definitely capable of pulling the upset though. This should be a very interesting game.

Pender appears to be at full strength right now so that should bode well in their favor.

The Pendragons get a second shot at GACC...a shot at redemption.

Pender has to make the most of their opportunity, and seize the moment.

Playoff Football is a privilege and a reward for a great season, and the Pendragons have to make the most of this second chance in the playoffs.

Pender struggled in the regular season, yet here the Pendragons are in the playoffs with a chance to shock the state.

Strap up the chinstraps and hold on because we could be in for a dandy on 107.9 the Bull Thursday night.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with pregame at 6:40, again on 107.9 the Bull, online at www.kticradio.com, and on the free KTIC radio app.

Howells-Dodge caps off undefeated regular season and wins District Title with win over Clarkson/Leigh

The Howells-Dodge Football Team won 42-22 at Clarkson/Leigh Friday night to finish the regular season 8-0 and win a District Championship.

Here is the scoring recap from the Game:

First Quarter

Clarkson-Leigh High School 06:35 #55 Anthony Bruhn runs for 1 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #55 Anthony Bruhn good)
Howells-Dodge 03:59 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 19 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)
Clarkson-Leigh High School 00:22 #55 Anthony Bruhn pass complete to #42 Hector Mendoza for 26 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #55 Anthony Bruhn no good)

Second Quarter

Howells-Dodge 09:25 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 31 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)
Howells-Dodge 00:35 #4 Dax VanLengen runs for 5 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)

Third Quarter

Howells-Dodge 08:37 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 4 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)
Howells-Dodge 06:35 #4 Haden Held punts to the Jaguars 49 yard line. #1 Luke Rocheford return for 51 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)

Fourth Quarter

Howells-Dodge 09:26 #4 Dax VanLengen pass complete to #22 Jon Yosten for 12 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)
Clarkson-Leigh High School 01:39 #6 Lance Paprocki runs for 12 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #6 Lance Paprocki to #23 Isaak Wiese good)

Horejsi had 211 yards rushing on 28 carries, and scored 3 touchdowns.

Kade Hegemann had 17 tackles while Horejsi and Jon Yosten registered 14 apiece. Ryan Macholan notched 8 while Kyle Pickhinke made 7.

The Jaguars had 276 yards of total offense, including 254 on the ground. The defense gave up 197 yards of total offense, including 121 rushing.

Good win for Howells-Dodge. The Jaguars started the game off slow, but really turned things on in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Howells-Dodge (8-0) rematches with Clarkson/Leigh (3-5) in the 1st round of the playoffs in Howells Thursday night.

The Patriots are a tough team, and can't be counted out of any contest.

The Jaguars definitely can't afford to overlook or look past Clarkson/Leigh. The Patriots should have Howells-Dodge's full attention.

With that said, the Jaguars could potentially rematch with Nebraska City Lourdes in the 2nd round of the playoffs, or perhaps travel to Neligh to take on Neligh-Oakdale next round.

But again, I must stress the importance of not taking Clarkson/Leigh lightly.

If Howells-Dodge isn't focused on the Patriots then they could be in for some real trouble.

Howells-Dodge simply has to come out and play a complete, four quarter game.

The Howells teams of the past would roll teams from start to finish on their way to all those state titles.

And Howells-Dodge has done that a lot this year.

It's just something the Jaguars need to do throughout these playoffs if possible.

I really think that if Howells-Dodge plays up to their full potential in the playoffs they have a chance to make the state championship game in Lincoln and win it.

Creighton, GACC and maybe East Butler could have something to say about that before things are all said and done, but I think the Jaguars have as good a chance as anyone to go all the way.

It would be real fitting for Howells-Dodge to win it all this year too.

The Jaguars' quest for a state championship starts with Clarkson/Leigh Thursday night.

Howells-Dodge has to come out and play smashmouth football from start to finish against the Patriots, and run the ball the way they did last week.

The one thing I will say is the Howells and Dodge teams of old used to run the ball with a lot of authority and purpose, and Horejsi did just that against Clarkson/Leigh.

I think he will need to have a big game again for the Jaguars to win comfortably.

It should be an exciting game and an electric atmosphere.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Emerson-Hubbard loses final contest to Randolph

The Emerson-Hubbard Football Team wrapped up their season Friday night, losing 42-12 at Randolph.

It definitely had to be disappointing for the Pirates not to make the playoffs. Emerson-Hubbard played some good, tough teams though.

The Pirates conclude the 2017 season with a 2-6 record.

All of Emerson-Hubbard's losses were to teams with records of 5-3 or better.

The two wins came over Scribner-Snyder and Winside.

Only having 14 kids out for the team this year had to make things difficult, especially in practice and late in games.

The Pirates lose seniors Connar Newton, Micah Lamprecht, Blake Eriksen, Nick Ahlers, and Spencer Emmons.

Emerson-Hubbard figures to be strong next year with the return of Jacob Kneifl, Spencer Burcham, Drake Steele, Nolan Ostrand, Nolan Belt, and Kaden Swanson.

The Pirates should have a solid and dandy team next year, and I'm excited to see what Emerson-Hubbard can accomplish.

The Pirates have to be disappointed by the fact their 4-year playoff streak ended, but you can bet Emerson-Hubbard will be back next season.

The Pirates need to have a good offseason of hard work, weightlifting, running, agility drills, maturity, as well as growth and development amongst players.

Emerson-Hubbard should focus on football as much as possible in the offseason.

I know it's tough to spend a lot of time on it in the winter and spring with Emerson-Hubbard being such a small school and kids out for 3 sports and some playing baseball in the summer, so I can definitely understand how hard it will be to work on football for the rest of the school year.

With that said, these kids have to find a way to manage their time and make time for football.

The student-athletes have to wake up everyday excited and passionate about making themselves better as athletes on an off the field.

Getting involved in community service projects if they're not already in them doesn't hurt.

Finding ways to serve and being successful on the field and in the classroom is very important for the Pirates I would say.

Emerson-Hubbard has to try and be as successful as they can be. Normally success in other aspects of life besides sports tends to result in success in sports quite a bit of the time.

It definitely wouldn't hurt these players to be well rounded athletes if they aren't already.

Scribner-Snyder loses final game to Cedar Bluffs

The Scribner-Snyder Football Team lost their final game as a program Friday night, falling 34-16 at home to Cedar Bluffs.

It was definitely a difficult way for the Trojans to go out as it wasn't the easiest season for Scribner-Snyder by any stretch of the imagination.

The Trojans end their season with an 0-8 record.

Seniors on this year's team include Josh McMillen, Hunter Adams, Harrison Riggle, Ryon Leffel, and Victor Zamora.

These players were a big reason why Scribner-Snyder was as successful running the ball as they were this year I would say, especially Riggle, Leffel, and Zamora, who were all linemen.

If you hadn't heard the Scribner-Snyder Trojans are no more.

Scribner-Snyder is going to co-op with Logan View in all sports starting next year.

So key players from Scribner-Snyder for next year's Logan View/Scribner-Snyder team include Austin Peters, Sebastian Arnold, Austin Lewin, Teague Stewart, James Hudson, Daymen Jurisch, and Noah Banks.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder should be pretty good next year. Logan View is in the playoffs this year, and already has a good established program and system in place.

The jump from 8 to 11-man will no doubt be challenging for the kids from Scribner-Snyder, but there's no doubt they can all adjust and make a big impact on the team.

I just want to say what a pleasure it was writing about Scribner-Snyder Football these last three years.

I want to thank Head Coach Anthony Ruzicka for all his help in making the blog posts what they were, and wish all the Scribner-Snyder Trojans the best of luck in the future.

I don't know what the future holds for everyone, but it was nice to be able to share insight and write about Trojan football these last three years.

I'm sure it's a very sad time for Scribner-Snyder with it being the end of their program, but I'm sure Logan View/Scribner-Snyder will be a power for years to come.

These kids have to adjust and adapt to their new roles and teammates as best as possible, and make do of the situation.

The boys need to go out and still have fun, and establish new relationships with their new teammates.

Logan View and Scribner-Snyder already combine in Boys and Girls Basketball so that should help ease the transition I would think.

I'm sure these players, coaches, parents, and fans will always remember the days of the Scribner-Snyder Trojans.

It's never easy having to adjust to change, but I'm sure as time goes on, it will be easier for everyone to deal with the new situation.

West Point-Beemer drops regular season finale to Norfolk Catholic

WEST POINT – It was a matchup of unbeatens when West Point-Beemer hosted Norfolk Catholic for the C1-5 District football championship on Friday, October 20.

The Knights blocked a WPB punt on the opening possession, setting up first and goal at the 10. Dylan Kautz rushed for his first of three touchdowns, and Norfolk Catholic raced to a 23-0 lead after the first quarter.

West Point-Beemer scored its only touchdown on the first half on a two yard run by Blake Anderson. Norfolk Catholic led 36-7 at the intermission.

The Knights scored on a quick 72-yard run by Kautz to start the third quarter, and would lead 42-7 until Anderson added his second score for the Cadets, this time from 11 yards out with 26 seconds left in the quarter.

In the fourth, Norfolk Catholic scored on a 70 yard run by Peyton Love and Cole Hughes plunged in for a one yard QB sneak for the Cadets. The final score was Norfolk Catholic 49, West Point-Beemer 21.

Unofficially for West Point-Beemer, Hunter Pilakowski carried 15 times for 122 yards and Anderson carried 17 times for 97 yards and two scores.

Hughes was 3-12 passing for 55 yards.

The Cadets had 300 yards of total offense, including 245 on the ground.


West Point-Beemer finishes the regular season at 8-1 and qualifies for the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Head Coach Troy Schlueter says his squad simply didn't do enough to beat the Knights. "I think we had some good moments, especially offensively, but they took the momentum, and we didn't make a big play to get it back at any point in the game. They are a good team, and played to their strengths very well, which is a credit to them."

The Cadets (8-1) host Columbus Lakeview (7-2) Friday night in the 1st round of the playoffs.

The Vikings defeated Ord 21-20 at home this past Friday night to close out the regular season.

A couple of common opponents between the two teams are Norfolk Catholic and O'Neill.

Lakeview lost 34-7 to the Knights and beat the Eagles 28-17. West Point-Beemer downed O'Neill 41-21.

This should be a good game.

Schlueter says the Cadets are led by their running game. "We do like to run the ball, and have been effective against everybody so far this season in that phase of the game. I think the kids take pride in being a physical football team, and having an effective running game is a part of that mentality."

Pilakowski and Anderson had good games against Norfolk Catholic, and were big reasons why West Point-Beemer had the amount of rushing yards they did.

Schlueter says the team is happy to be in the playoffs. "We're happy as a staff to have another week with these guys, and are looking forward to hosting a quality opponent in Lakeview."

It's great to make the playoffs, but teams always want to do something when they get there, and I feel West Point-Beemer has a chance to do just that.

Schlueter says his squad will need to play their best game of the year to win. "I think to be successful this week we have to hit a new level of play in all phases that we haven't hit previously this year. We are looking forward to the challenge."

Columbus Lakeview probably has a bit of an edge as a program when it comes to playoff experience as they've been there before, but the Cadets are a good team, and are at home so I feel the game being in West Point is an advantage for West Point-Beemer.

The winner gets either Fairbury or Pierce in the Quarterfinals, and I could easily see the Cadets playing the Bluejays next round in a rematch.

I think West Point-Beemer has a shot to get to the Semifinals if they play up to their potential.

The Cadets should dream big, but yet be focused on the Vikings before worrying about any other potential game down the road this season.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in West Point.

Clarkson/Leigh loses regular season finale to Howells-Dodge; gets rematch with Jaguars in playoffs

The Clarkson/Leigh Football Team started Friday night's game out strong against Howells-Dodge at home, but wound up losing 42-22.

Here is the scoring recap from the game:

First Quarter

Clarkson-Leigh High School 06:35 #55 Anthony Bruhn runs for 1 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #55 Anthony Bruhn good)
Howells-Dodge 03:59 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 19 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)
Clarkson-Leigh High School 00:22 #55 Anthony Bruhn pass complete to #42 Hector Mendoza for 26 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #55 Anthony Bruhn no good)

Second Quarter

Howells-Dodge 09:25 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 31 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)
Howells-Dodge 00:35 #4 Dax VanLengen runs for 5 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)

Third Quarter

Howells-Dodge 08:37 #28 Dylan Horejsi runs for 4 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)
Howells-Dodge 06:35 #4 Haden Held punts to the Jaguars 49 yard line. #1 Luke Rocheford return for 51 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi no good)

Fourth Quarter

Howells-Dodge 09:26 #4 Dax VanLengen pass complete to #22 Jon Yosten for 12 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #28 Dylan Horejsi good)
Clarkson-Leigh High School 01:39 #6 Lance Paprocki runs for 12 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion pass by #6 Lance Paprocki to #23 Isaak Wiese good)

Bruhn was 2-7 passing for 76 yards with a touchdown. He added 52 yards rushing on 28 carries, and scored once.

Jacob Gall made one reception for 50 yards.

Gall made 12 tackles while Hector Mendoza registered 9. Isaak Wiese and Dillan Knapp totaled 7 each.

The Patriots amassed 197 yards of total offense, including 121 rushing. The defense gave up 276 yards of total offense, 254 coming on the ground.

Head Coach Jim Clarkson says his team started the game strong, but couldn't keep it up in the 2nd half. "The Howells-Dodge game started out the way we had hoped. We got up early and even had a chance to go into Half with the lead, but a couple mistakes by us allowed them to take the lead just before half.  They are a well coached team and you cannot make little mistakes or they will make you pay.  In the second half we could not get it going on offense and that allowed them to wear us down with their strong running game. I believe our kids believe they can play with Howells-Dodge, but we have to play our best to have a chance."

The good news for Clarkson/Leigh (3-5) is that they get a rematch with the Jaguars (8-0) in the 1st round of the playoffs in Howells Thursday night.

Clarkson says making the playoffs again is a big deal, and the team looks forward to the game. "Getting to the playoffs on the first 6 years as Clarkson-Leigh is a big deal.  It has been close the last couple years, but we knew our boy numbers were going to be low and we would have some struggles, so I am really proud of our guys to be able to grind out enough wins to get into the party, even if that means taking on a Top 5 team in the 1st round. We have pulled off the upset before so what the heck, bring them on."

Clarkson adds the two teams are very familiar with one another. "The cool thing is the players and coaches all know each other so well. Jaguar assistant Coaches Wes Pokorny and Mark Ernst and myself coached together for several years in Clarkson, and I have know Coach Speirs for a long time, so there is a lot of banter between the two staffs. Our kids always seem to really get excited to play those guys so it is really just a fun game everytime we play."

I think that familiarity helps the Patriots more than it hurts them. I think facing Howells-Dodge is better than facing an unfamiliar power.

Howells-Dodge's Dylan Horejsi had 211 yards rushing with 3 touchdowns in Friday's win.

Clarkson says the key to slowing him down this time around is winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. "He is a nice Back, he runs real hard and does a nice job of finding the hole and hitting it hard. I have to give some credit to their guys up front their linemen really get after you especially Macholan that kid plays with a high motor. We will need to keep their Linemen off our LB's as much as possible, we will need them to make as many tackles near the Line of Scrimmage as possible to slow them down."

I think Clarkson/Leigh can definitely hang with and give Howells-Dodge a game again.

The Patriots have to do what they did the first time around, only play a complete four quarter game this time.

If Clarkson/Leigh is to pull the upset, Bruhn and the offense has to click on all cylinders throughout the game.

The Patriots also have to try and slow down Horejsi, and make Dax VanLengen beat them with his arm.

I feel Clarkson/Leigh is better off trying to make the Jaguars beat them with the pass than the run.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Howells.

North Bend Central loses season finale at David City

The North Bend Central Football Team dropped their final game of the season Friday night, falling 20-12 at David City.

The Scouts led 7-0 after one, and won the 2nd quarter 7-6 to take a 14-6 lead into the locker room.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter. Both teams scored 6 points in the 4th quarter.

Austin Endorf was 13-30 passing for 158 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

John Emanuel hauled in 6 passes for 67 yards, including a touchdown, while James Seymour made one catch for 60 yards, a touchdown.

Brock Ray made 19 tackles while Joel Hines totaled 10. Jeremy Doernemann and Gavin Peterson added 9 apiece while Colton Mitties registered 8.

The Tigers had 215 yards of total offense, 185 coming on the ground.

Head Coach Ryan Stieren says it was tough to go out the way his team did this year. "We made too many mistakes to win against a team that doesn't hurt themselves. Definitely a disappointing way to end the season but it is a good lesson that I hope will motivate us this offseason to improve and to prepare better each and every week."

North Bend Central wraps up the year at 2-6.

Definitely not what the Tigers were hoping for after going 4-4 last year, but I thought North Bend Central competed better against the Wahoo Schools and David City Aquinas than they did last year.

The Tigers lose quite a few talented seniors, including Brandon Wardman, Peter Emanuel, Hines, Mitties, Dalton Mueller, Joshua Strauss, Noah Brodd, Ray, Joe Bautista, Tyler Obershaw, Brendan Pojar, Jared Spiker, and Seymour.

A lot of talent was lost with this senior class, and a lot of these players and their contributions will be sorely missed, but all North Bend Central can do is move on and prepare for next year.

Key returners for the Tigers next season include Endorf, Zach Ortmeier, John Emanuel, Trevor Nelson, and others.

North Bend Central needs to have a really good offseason, and see lots of growth and development.

The Tigers have to breathe, live, sleep, and eat football as much as possible.

The players need to be weightroom junkies, and must work on getting stronger, bigger, faster, and more athletic.

Working on agility drills would be a good idea I would say because North Bend Central could definitely benefit from being faster and more fleet of foot.

The Tigers should work on becoming more shifty, and improving their range.

North Bend Central has to bring the lunch pail to work every single day this offseason, and kids not out for a winter and/or a spring sport should be working on football related activities as much as possible.

I realize a lot of these kids go out for basketball, wrestling, track, etc., but the Tigers could really benefit from improvement at the game of Football.

It will be interesting to see who North Bend Central gets in their district next year.

Perhaps the Tigers will get a full 9-game schedule next year with more winnable district games.

This year was tough and all thrown out of whack with North Bend Central only playing 8 games, and the Madison game getting cut in half due to the weather, and the Aquinas game getting called early.

Perhaps the challenges and obstacles that the Tigers faced this year will make North Bend Central a stronger team next year and for years after that.

The Tigers just have to keep getting better and improving as football players, athletes, and young men.

BRLD drops final game to Logan View

The BRLD Football team dropped their final game of the season Friday night, losing 21-20 at Logan View.

Will Gatzemeyer was 13-24 passing for 200 yards with a touchdown. He added 76 yards rushing on 21 carries, and scored once.

Trent Gatewood made 2 receptions for 70 yards.

Tyler Kroger finished with 12 tackles while Gatzemeyer, Jacob Zuhlke, and Rafael Jimenez registered 7 each.

The Wolverines finished with 315 yards of offense, including 200 passing. The Raiders had 293 yards of total offense, 224 coming on the ground.

Tough loss for BRLD. The Wolverines just came up a little short.

BRLD ends the year at 4-5.

I thought the Wolverines took a step forward and made progress as a program from last year to this year.

BRLD was 4-2 in their last 6 games, and if they had started better, who knows, they still might be playing.

The Wolverines have to be happy with the strong finish to the season though and what lies ahead next year.

The upset win over Fremont Bergan had to be the highlight of the year for BRLD.

Gatzemeyer ended up 70-127 with 985 yards and 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on the season.

He was also the team's leading rusher with 561 yards on 137 carries and 8 touchdowns. Zuhlke finished with 493 yards rushing on 125 carries, including 6 touchdowns.

Derek Peterson led the team in tackles with 61 while Gatzemeyer and Jaxon Johnson totaled 59 and 50, respectively.

BRLD says goodbye to seniors Hunter Ferguson, Michael Snyder, Gatewood, Jimenez, Zuhlke, and Kroger.

So the Wolverines lose some good, key players, but return plenty of talent as well.

Back for BRLD next year will be Gatzemeyer, Lucas Vogt, Darwin Snyder, Peterson, Dustin Burgett, Johnson, Kobe Lyons, Nick Ronnfeldt, Seth Totten, and Luke Kramer, among others.

The Wolverines should have a nice mix of Juniors and Seniors next year, and that should allow BRLD to be successful.

I think the Wolverines will be solid the next two years and for years to come.

BRLD is still in its infancy as an 11-man program, and I look for BRLD to only get better as the years pass.

This is a very strong team with a lot of good coaches and athletes, and I look for the Wolverines to take that next step next season and compete for the playoffs.

BRLD has already proven that they can compete with playoff teams. Now it's a matter of going out there and beating those teams, and becoming an established power in their own right.

To do that, the Wolverines need to have a big offseason of weightlifting, running, growth, maturity, and development.

Stanton loses final game at Battle Creek

The Stanton Football Team played their final game of the 2017 season Friday night, losing 48-8 at Battle Creek.

The Braves led 14-0 after one, and blanked the Mustangs 14-0 in the 2nd quarter to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room.

Battle Creek won the 3rd quarter 14-8 to extend their lead to 42-8 at the end of three.

The Braves shutout Stanton 6-0 in the 4th quarter.

Beau Wilke carried the ball 5 times for 71 yards, and scored a touchdown in final game as a Mustang.

Ashton Flood had 19 tackles while Gauge Erickson made 16. Wilke, Sutton Pohlman, and Nathan Wragge registered 10 each.

Stanton had 213 yards of total offense, including 177 on the ground. Battle Creek totaled 386 yards of offense, 244 coming on the ground.

Tough way to end a difficult season for the Mustangs. To Stanton's defense they were pretty young though.

The Mustangs conclude the 2017 campaign with a 2-7 record.

Stanton started the year 2-1, and lost their last 6 games to tough competition.

Junior Quarterback Marcus Spotanski finished the season 40-97 passing for 586 yards with 2 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Erickson was the team's leading rusher with 363 yards on the season. Wilke added 339 yards rushing, scoring a touchdown in his last ever game, his only one of the year.

Flood led the team in tackles on the season with 96 while Erickson notched 90.

Stanton parts ways with Wilke, Flood, Ben Hansen, and Logan Kage.

These four seniors meant a lot to the Mustangs without a doubt, and will be sorely missed, you can bet on that.

Stanton returns a lot though, including Pohlman, Spotanski, Nathan Arens, and others.

The Mustangs need to get much stronger, bigger, faster, and athletic in the offseason.

Stanton's athletes have winter and spring sports to worry about too, but whenever they can workout and play the game of football, the better they will be at the sport next year.

Growth and development as players and young men should happen naturally, but the Mustangs have to go out there and make it happen.

Stanton has to work their tails off in the offseason, and feel the burn.

The Mustangs have to work hard together as a team in the weightroom and in places they run.

Stanton's players need to participate in summer camps and workouts, and work on improving themselves.

The Mustangs need good weightroom participation, and players not out for a winter and/or spring sport should be working out as much as possible to get ready for next Football season.

All these freshmen, sophomores, and juniors that played this year will be sophomores, juniors, and seniors next year so Stanton should be better next year than they were this year.

It will be interesting to see what the schedule is like for the Mustangs too because their district was absolutely brutal the last two years.

I look for Stanton to have a better year next year than they did this year when it's all said and done.

Wisner-Pilger wins final game at Tekamah-Herman

The Wisner-Pilger Football Team won 20-18 at Tekamah-Herman Friday night to end the season.

The game was tied at 6 at the end of one and at 12 at halftime.

The Gators won the 4th quarter 8-6 to make up the final score. No one scored in the 3rd quarter.

Head Coach A.J. Burki says it was a good team win. "I would begin by saying it was an all team effort. You know as the season goes on, sometimes it's hard to play for something when you haven't had a lot of success, your numbers are down, and you are pretty banged up. We talked all week about the importance of this game and how not to let, the above mentioned scenarios dictate the teams fate. We spoke about how they (the boys) want to remember this season and how for the older guys this will be how they go out in their senior year, and for the younger guys how this will set the tempo for the future.  The boys have worked hard all year, and it was great for them to be down, come back, and be rewarded for their efforts, and show their overall desire to win. And, honestly the boys attitude was great all year, they came ready to practice everyday and truly wanted to get after it, to become better players, athletes, and be a better team. They are and were a pretty self-determined team, and I think that's what really was the difference, they want to compete, they want to be good, and they want to win - and will do what they need to try and accomplish that goal."

Wisner-Pilger ends the year at 1-8.

Burki says he's losing a special group of seniors. "Just -  them!!!!  Of our 6 Seniors, only 2 have played football for all four years (Hunter Waterman and Keegan Ruskamp - good players and even better kids) - the other 4, hadn't either played at all or not since their Freshmen year. For that reason, we are just going to miss them, they are good kids, that realized that the team was in need, that we were young and didn't have a lot of numbers. So they stepped up and played, making sure that a JV schedule was sure to happen. They were ALL leaders - each in their own way, working with and helping the younger guys how ever they could. They turned this team into a family, and they had each others back. They are a pretty great group of guys, who always put the team first.  We will miss them."

Other seniors who played this year were Logan Polenske, Sam Dorris, Jack Canetta, and Trenton Lierman.

Key returners for the Gators next season include Trevor Styskal, Colby Heller, Dylan Kneifl, Justin Pieper, Mason Dimon, Jacob Borgelt, Dylan Uhing, Caden Schweers, and Jayden Raabe.

Wisner-Pilger ought to be pretty good given all the talent they have coming back.

This was kind of a rebuilding year of sorts for the Gators you could say, the one thing you have to say about this team is that they never gave up.

I felt Wisner-Pilger played two of their better games this season the last two times out.

Burki says this win was about so much more than just the game of football. "I think this was huge!  This was the culmination of everything they did and went through all season. I am not so much worried about the off-season (though I think it is greatly important - for our team) but instead the rest of this school year, right here and now, and the winter sport season, then the spring and summer. We preached all year about changing the culture, not for football but for our boy sports in general - we want (more importantly they want) to compete and excel at everything we do (every sport). And I think this win takes them in that direction."

I think the Gators are going to have a very good basketball team this year, and it should make for an exciting season.

The football players not out for basketball should go to basketball games and support their teammates.

Same with football and basketball players not involved in wrestling.

Wisner-Pilger is looking to build a winning culture, and it all starts with hard work, kids bonding together, and coming together as one.

If the Gators continue to play with a positive, upbeat attitude and have a good offseason, brighter days should be ahead for Wisner-Pilger.

Tekamah-Herman drops final game of season to Wisner-Pilger

The Tekamah-Herman Football team dropped their season finale at home to Wisner-Pilger Friday night, losing 20-18.

The game was tied at 6 at the end of one and at 12 at halftime.

The Gators won the 4th quarter 8-6 to make up the final score. No one scored in the 3rd quarter.

It had to be a disappointing way for the Tigers to end the year. I'm sure Tekamah-Herman feels they could of and should of won this game.

The Tigers wrap up the year at 1-8.

That was also Tekamah-Herman's record last year.

The Tigers' lone win of the year came in the opener against Madison.

I felt Tekamah-Herman's best game of the year was against Logan View.

The Tigers lose seniors Austin Pickell, Chance Reusch, Taylor Babler, Sage Penny, Ethan Braniff, Max Hansen, Kyle Quick, Brandon Fentress, Johnny Braniff, Mack Braniff, and Matt Hawkins.

These 11 seniors will be missed no doubt, but Tekamah-Herman was pretty young this year, and has to be excited about the future.

Brandon Schram, Clay Beaumont, Cody Elliot, Justin Greenlaw, Luke Wakehouse, Gage Drummond,  and Jayden Kellogg figure to be some of the main players and key contributors for the Tigers next year.

Tekamah-Herman needs to have a good season of growth, development, and maturity.

These kids have to work hard during workouts, and be excited to grow and improve as student athletes every time they wake up.

The Tigers need to do a lot of weightlifting and running in the offseason to make themselves better next year.

Champions are made in the offseason, and so Tekamah-Herman's players have to show dedication in the weightroom this offseason, and in team camps and other things throughout the summer.

A lot of these kids are in other sports I'm sure, but proper time and devotion to football is important, there's no doubt about it.

Success in all aspects of life...on the field and in the classroom, is very important for the Tigers I would say.

The returning players should get together on weekends they're free and watch college and pro football, play video games, go out for supper, etc.

Team bonding activities are almost as important as workouts and camps and all that stuff, and the more kids can get together, the better.

These players should take these next couple of weeks to rest their bodies, but be ready to get back at it the first part of November, whether they're participating in a winter sport or not.

I think 2018 has the potential to be a better season than 2017 was for Tekamah-Herman.

Winnebago ends season with win over Homer

The Winnebago Football team rounded out the season Friday night with a 34-32 home win over Homer.

It was good way for the season to end for the Indians, in my opinion, and a good way for the seniors to go out.

Winnebago concludes the 2017 campaign with a 3-5 record.

The Indians won 3 out of their last 4, and I think that's something Winnebago can definitely build upon for next year.

The highlight of the season had to be the upset win over Pender. That game had to make the Indians' season.

I thought Winnebago's season really turned around starting with the Hartington-Newcastle game, a 28-6 loss for the Indians.

Winnebago says goodbye to 6 seniors in Lance Denney, Evander Bass, Nicholas Painter, Derrell Zagurski, Ezekiel Walker, and Caden Cleveland.

Among the key returners figure to be T.J. Frenchman and Tyrese Gorrin.

I look for those two to be very good and lethal weapons for the Indians next year.

Winnebago should have a very nice team next season.

The way the Indians ended this season has to give them a lot of confidence and momentum heading into next year.

Winnebago's players have to wake up every day of the offseason ready to workout, play the game of football in general, and run.

High School Sports are a commitment, and the players must devote proper time to football in the offseason.

A lot of these players have other sports to look forward to like basketball, but football should be on the Indians' minds too.

Winnebago has a chance to have even more success next year I would say so when the summer rolls around the players need to get ready for team camps, individual workouts, and team activities.

Bonding together as a team in the offseason is important too I feel.

Going out to a movie or eating dinner together, or hanging out and playing video games together never hurts.

And it doesn't have to be the whole team either. Just a group of guys hanging out and enjoying themselves.

The more positive experiences these kids have and the more they grow together and mature in the offseason, the better off the Indians will be in 2017.

I think this year's team did a good job of laying a foundation for success for future Winnebago teams, and I feel it's something next year's team can build and expand on.

West Point-Beemer outlasts Pierce in OT

The West Point-Beemer Football team's magical run continued Friday night as the Cadets outlasted Pierce 35-28 in overtime.

The Cadets led 14-7 after the 1st quarter, and blanked the Bluejays 7-0 in the 2nd quarter to take a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

Pierce shutout West Point-Beemer 14-0 in the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 21 after three.

Both teams scored 7 points in the 4th quarter, and the score was 28-all heading into OT.

The Cadets scored on a touchdown on their first play of overtime, and stopped the Bluejays at the half yard line on 4th down.

Cole Hughes finished 16-27 passing for 258 yards and an interception.

Hunter Pilakowski carried the ball 15 times for 58 yards, and scored once, while Blake Anderson totaled 52 yards rushing on 8 carries, and scored three times.

Ben Vander Griend hauled in 10 passes for 162 yards while Kade Hughes made 5 catches for 111 yards.

Anderson and Kade Hughes notched 8 tackles each.

West Point-Beemer amassed 395 yards of total offense, including 281 passing. The defense gave up 362 yards rushing, 282 coming on the ground.

What a great win this was for the Cadets! It now sets the stage against Norfolk Catholic.

A pair of undefeated seasons and the C1-5 District Title is on the line when West Point-Beemer hosts Norfolk Catholic on high school football on 107.9 the Bull Friday night.

Both teams enter Friday’s game with 8-0 records.

For West Point-Beemer, that’s the most wins in a single season since the Cadets went 8-3 in 2007 and made it to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. Coincidentally, 2007 is also the last time the Cadets made the playoffs.

Norfolk Catholic’s prowess is well known, with the Knights having qualified for the post season the last 20 years in a row, and 33 times in total. Norfolk Catholic also boasts nine state titles in C1, most recently in 2012, and six runner-up finishes, with the last coming in 2015.

If that wasn’t enough to think about, head coach Jeff Bellar became the all-time winningest coach in Nebraska high school football history when the Knights beat Wayne 35-0 last week, marking career win number 344 for Bellar.

West Point-Beemer Head Coach Troy Schlueter says both teams want to run the football, and that he’s excited for what should be a physical contest. “One of their things, is they have a pretty physical style of play, which we like too,” Schlueter said. “We’re pretty excited about it because, you know, anytime you get two teams that kinda wanna run the ball at each other and do some hitting, it’s gonna be an exciting game. So we’re pretty excited. We’re thinking the opportunity is pretty big, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Coach Bellar said that a balanced defense will be a key to the game for the Knights. “Play sound defensively. I think we’re playing a team that can run the football and throw the football, which obviously you can’t load up on one or the other will hurt you,” Bellar said. “So we’ll have to be very balanced as we try to defend.”

This is a game of gigantic proportions, and I look for it to be a great game.

It's one thing to knock off Pierce, it's another to beat Norfolk Catholic.

I think the Cadets can win, but West Point-Beemer is going up against the best of the best. One of the best dynasties in High School Football history.

The Cadets are writing their own legacy right now though so we'll see how things unfold Friday night.

On air coverage begins with the pregame show at 6:40 with the kickoff at 7:00. The game can be heard live on 107.9 the Bull, online at kticradio.com and on the free KTIC Radio app.

Oakland-Craig topples Tekamah-Herman

The Oakland-Craig Football Team won 47-6 at home over Tekamah-Herman Friday night.

Ben Smith carried the ball 6 times for 110 yards and scored twice. Evan Reinert was 5-7 passing for 102 yards and threw for 3 touchdowns and an interception.

Garrett Seagren hauled in 4 passes for 55 yards, and scored twice.

The Knights racked up 373 yards of total offense, including 239 on the ground.

Head Coach Joe Anderson says his team was able to build for the future in this game. "It was good to get another district win. Our older kids executed pretty well, which allowed our younger kids to get a lot of playing time. Games like this really help build our program for years to come."

He adds it was important to get the run game going. "We have been working hard on getting our rushing game. We like to throw the ball, but the weather (like the LV game) does not always allow you to do that, so for us to win games in October and November we will have to run the ball better, so it was good to see our OL give Ben some running room and he really took advantage of it."

Oakland-Craig (7-1) takes on Fremont Bergan (5-3) on the road Friday night in the regular season finale.

Bergan was upset 20-14 at BRLD this past Friday night.

Anderson says his squad will have their hands full. "Bergan is always a strong program and they play really tough at home. They are big power football team. We are going to have to match their physicality and try to slow down their running game. Offensively we are going to have to be assignment sound as they blitz a bunch of people from different areas."

This game is for the District Title, and Oakland-Craig can win District C2-3 outright with a win.

Should Bergan win and should BRLD beat Logan View, then there would be a 3-way tie for the district.

My guess is the tiebreaker would go to Oakland-Craig though.

Anderson says it would be big to get this win to win another district title and earn a high playoff seed. "One of our goals at the beginning of the year was to win another district title. We knew if we won our district, we would be in the playoffs. And if you win all of your district games, it means you are playing pretty good football at the end of the year, which is important if you want to keep playing in November. A win this Friday would most likely get us a home game in the 1st round."

Right now, Oakland-Craig would be the No. 6 seed if the C-2 playoffs started today.

A loss might mean a first round road playoff game for Oakland-Craig so this game is very important for them.

I look for Oakland-Craig to go into Fremont and take care of business.

Bergan is obviously a nice team and a traditional powerhouse, but I feel Oakland-Craig is better.

You know it will be a great game though with Bergan fighting for any playoff hopes they have left.

I wonder if Bergan was looking forward to this game last week when they lost to BRLD.

That could be the case, but if it is, then Bergan really put themselves in a tough position.

I don't even know if Bergan can win the District and make the playoffs with a win, but this game is still very important for both teams.

Reinert, Smith, and Seagren need to play the way they did against Tekamah-Herman.

If those three and the offensive line perform well then Oakland-Craig should be in good shape.