Oakland-Craig loses at Ord in State Semifinals

 

The season came to and end for the Oakland-Craig football team on Friday, Nov. 13, as the Knights fell on the road to Ord 38-28 in the semifinals of the Class C2 playoffs in action aired on 107.9 the Bull.

Both teams punted on their first offensive possessions of the game.

Ord scored on its second drive, a two-yard run from Tommy Stevens. The PAT made it 7-0.

Oakland-Craig answered right back on their next possession, driving 80 yards and capping things off with a three-yard run from Caden Nelson. The PAT tied it at 7-7 with 3:41 in the first quarter.

The Chanticleers answered with a long drive of their own, going 84 yards, and finishing off with a three-yard run from QB Zach Smith. Ord now led 14-7.

The Knights responded, going 80 yards again, and ending the drive on a two-yard run from Coulter Thiele, tying the game 14-14 with 10:11 left in the second quarter.

Ord scored the last touchdown of the first half, a nine-yard run by Stevens, and the Chanticleers took a 21-14 lead into halftime.

After Oakland-Craig was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, Ord began with great field position, on the O-C 38. The Chants were able to take a two score lead following a one-yard run by Smith. The PAT made it 28-14 Ord with 8:09 in the third quarter.

But Oakland-Craig would score on their next two drives, a one-yard run by Nelson and a five-yard run by QB Grady Gatewood, and the game was tied 28-28 with 9:48 left in the fourth.

The Chanticleers drove down to the O-C 15 yard line, but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Nebraska walk-on commit Kelen Meyer, and Ord now led 31-28 with 7:17 left in the game.

The Knights got the ball for the potential go-ahead drive. A Gatewood pass was intercepted by Smith, giving Ord the ball on the O-C 14 yard line.

The Chanticleers added a touchdown on an eight-yard run by Smith, and after the PAT, now led 38-28 with 5:44 left in the game.

O-C was able to drive to the Ord 37, but were turned away on fourth down.

Ord had the ball with a chance to run out the remaining clock, but O-C got a stop on defense and forced a punt.

With one last chance with the ball, O-C threw their second interception of the game, and Ord was able to run out the remaining 2:04, sealing the game with a 38-28 win.

Gatewood was 13-20 passing for 159 yards and two interceptions. Gunnar Ray made 5 receptions for 60 yards while Carson Thomsen had 3 catches for 56 yards.

Nelson ran the ball 25 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Jack Pille had 63 yards rushing on 3 carries.

Mike Maline made 9 tackles while Thomsen had 7.

The Knights had 399 yards of total offense, including 240 on the ground.

The defense gave up 407 yards of total offense, including 356 rushing.

Heck of a ride for Oakland-Craig. Unfortunately, they couldn't get back to the State Championship for the second year in a row with the chance to repeat.

Oakland-Craig ends their season at 9-2 overall.    

It was another very strong season for the Knights.

I really think Jaron Meyer missing most of the season really affected Oakland-Craig though.

Who knows what would of happened had he been healthy the entire time.

Gatewood had 1,239 yards passing with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions for the season. Thiele was the team's leading rusher with 830 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Knights say goodbye to Ray, Trey Deemer, Gavin Enstrom, Thiele, Meyer, Trent Arlt, Nelson, Pille, Brands, Jaden Harney, Alec Mockenhaupt, and Maline.

These seniors will be sorely missed no doubt.

Key returners include Thomsen, Gatewood, Dawson Rhoades, Aiden Jorgensen, Connor Guill, Tavis Uhing, Elliot Johnson, Trevor Weitzenkamp, and Jt Brands.

Oakland-Craig graduates a lot of talent, but a lot of guys are back as well.

I look for the Knights to reload and be strong and good once again next year.

Hopefully by the time next season rolls around the coronavirus pandemic will be a thing of the past and things are back to normal. 

Oakland-Craig stymies Hartington Cedar Catholic in Quarterfinal Playoff Win

 

The Oakland-Craig Football Team jumped out to a 12-0 lead, and went on to win 15-6 at Hartington Cedar Catholic in the State Quarterfinals Friday night in action aired on 107.9 the Bull.

Caden Nelson had 120 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a score.

Tavis Uhing made 7 tackles.

The Knights had 194 yards of total offense, all on the ground.

It wasn't a pretty win by any stretch of the imagination, but a win is a win this time of year.

Oakland-Craig is one win away from returning to the Class C2 State Championship game for the second straight season.

The last obstacle between the Knights and Lincoln are the undefeated Ord Chanticleers, who will host Oakland-Craig this Friday.

Ord finished the regular season unbeaten at 7-0, with two games cancelled due to COVID-19. Those games included vs a winless Twin River on October 9, and what would have been the regular season finale against 4-2 Gibbon on October 22. Ord did play Sutton in a make-up game on the 9th, winning 35-16, but the replacement game do not count for against the teams.

So far in the playoffs, the Chanticleers have beaten Bishop Neumann 38-14, and picked up a 24-12 quarterfinal win over Aquinas Catholic last Friday.

Oakland-Craig enters the semifinals at 9-1, with their only loss coming to unbeaten Fremont Bergan on October 16th.

The Knights have also been affected by Covid, as their September 18 game with Norfolk Catholic was cancelled. Instead, The Knights hosted Logan-Magnolia of Iowa in a replacement game, winning 38-0.

In the postseason, O-C has wins over Crofton 44-14, and they were able to escape Hartington Cedar Catholic with a 15-6 victory last week.

Head Coach Joe Anderson breaks down the game with the Trojans. "It started off really well. One of our goals was to get off to a fast start. And Caden Nelson was able to get a pick, and get us down in scoring position on the first play of the game. We were able to punch one in there. And defense did a great job of getting a stop and then getting another score. So bang bang it was 12-0 right away. But we knew Cedar's got a great football team, very well coached. And they were able to comeback and get a score. And after that our defense just really buckled down and played really well." 

Anderson says their offense didn't perform as well as they'd of liked, putting their defense in some bad positions by turning the ball over and bobbling a punt. 

Currently sitting at 9-0, Ord boasts an impressive balanced attack on offense, led by dual-threat quarterback Zach Smith, who has completed 62-98 passes for 1,055 yards and 16 touchdowns, compared to six interceptions. Smith has also carried the ball 117 times for 739 yards and 12 more scores.

Tommy Stevens is the leading rusher for the Chants, having carried 197 times for 1,337 yards and 25 touchdowns.

John Deriso is the favorite target whenever Ord throws the ball, hauling in 27 catches for 357 yards and four scores.

Defensively, Garret Kluthe has 64 tackles for the Chants, along with 63 from trey Warner.

As a team, Ord has record 50 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and have forced 26 turnovers: 15 interceptions and 11 fumbles. Kelen Meyer has seven of those picks.

Anderson says the Chanticleers are the real deal. "Yeah very good Football team. They are undefeated for a reason. All three phases of the game they're very strong. Offensively they have a lot of weapons, they got a Quarterback that's a dual threat guy that can throw it well. He can run it. They got an All-State type running back in the backfield that's really hard to tackle. And they got 2 or 3 guys out on the perimeter that really go up and catch the ball. And if you look at their scores they've put up a lot points."

Anderson feels the Chanticleers are even more talented defensively as they really fly around and have a lot of great athletes, Senior, Veteran guys who have been playing for a long time.

He adds Ord's kicking game is very good as well.

Anderson says the Knights will have to mix things up better offensively against the Chanticleers. 

The Chanticleers enter Friday night’s game averaging 46.6 points on offense, while allowing just over 10 points per game on defense.

For Oakland-Craig, the Knights average 42 points per game on offense, and allow 7.3 points per game on defense.

Offensively for the Knights, QB Grady Gatewood is 61-110 passing for 1,080 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Four different O-C players have double digit catches in the receiving category, with Nelson leading the way with 15 catches for 205 yards and a score.

Oakland-Craig uses multiple ball carriers in their running attack. Coulter Thiele has 47 carries for 781 yards and 12 touchdowns. Uhing has 101 carries for 502 yards and 7 scores. Nelson has 89 carries for 472 yards and 13 TDs, and Jaron Meyer had 49 carries for 439 yards and 9 scores.

Mike Brands leads the Knights on defense with 82 total tackles, 41 of them being solo.

Oakland-Craig has recorded 34 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, 19 interceptions and five fumbles on defense.

Ord was the state runner-up in Class C1 in 2018, and is looking for just their second ever state finals appearance.

Oakland-Craig is trying to get back to the state finals for the second year in a row, after winning last year’s state championship in C2. The Knights were also champs in C2 in 1995, and runner-up in 1997 and 2015.

It’s Class C2 state semifinal football this Friday night, November 13th, with 9-1 Oakland-Craig at 9-0 Ord.

Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm.

The game will be broadcast on 107.9 The Bull with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30.

It should be a great game that I feel could truly go either way. 

I think offensive balance is the key to the game for the Knights. 

Stanton falls to Dundy County-Stratton in State Quarterfinals

 

The Stanton Football Team traveled down to Benkelman and left home empty handed on Friday, falling 50-24 to Dundy County-Stratton in the D-1 State Quarterfinals.

The Mustangs led 8-6 at the end of the 1st quarter before the Tigers blanked Stanton 20-0 in the 2nd quarter to take a 26-8 lead into the locker room.

Both teams scored 8 points in the 3rd quarter, and the score was 34-16 at the end of three in favor of DCS.

The Tigers doubled up the Mustangs 16-8 in the 4th quarter.

Sutton Pohlman had 113 yards rushing on 22 carries while Parker Krusemark was 6-12 passing for 83 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Pohlman hauled in 5 passes for 60 yards, including a touchdown. 

Pohlman made 11 tackles.

Stanton had 302 yards of total offense, including 219 on the ground.

Dundy County-Stratton totaled 369 yards of total offense, and had 273 rushing.

Definitely not what I expected in this one.

The Mustangs wrap up the season at 8-2.

It was a season filled with memories for Stanton.

The Mustangs picked up big wins over Howells-Dodge, Clarkson/Leigh, GACC, and Laurel-Concord-Coleridge on their way to winning a District Championship.

Stanton was also very dominant in their first two playoff games before losing to the Tigers.

Pohlman finished with 1,220 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns on the season while Gage Tighe had 776 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the year.

Pohlman made a team leading 93 tackles.

The Mustangs part ways with Pohlman, Matthew Reese, Brennan Wragge, Tighe, Nathan Wragge, Cody Kuester, Mason Bruggeman, Gunnar Davidson, Jordan Gartner, and Trey Elbert.

Lots of talent and lots of great seniors who did and meant so much to this program.

Key returners include Devyn Farrier, Adam Arens, Krusemark, Owen Vogel, Joe Butterfield, Parker Wiedeman, Jason Claussen, Brayan Acuna, Damien Erickson, Kamden Dusatko, Thomas Cunningham, Ben Butterfield, and Mitchell Hupp. 

A lot of these kids will be Seniors next year so Stanton figures to be poised to have another season like they did this year.

Pohlman and Tighe are huge losses at the I-back position though so the Mustangs will have to find someone to step up and fill those big shoes.

Stanton has to work as hard as possible this offseason and do what they can with the pandemic.

Hopefully the pandemic ends in a timely fashion so these kids can get back to normal and have a normal season next year.

That's what we're all hoping for anyways. 

Oakland-Craig handles Crofton in first round of Playoffs

 

The Oakland-Craig Football Team won 44-14 at home over Crofton in the 1st round of the Playoffs Friday night.

The Knights led 14-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, and outscored the Warriors 16-7 in the 2nd quarter to take a 30-7 lead into the locker room.

Oakland-Craig shutout Crofton 14-0 in the 3rd quarter to go up 44-7 at the end of three.

The Warriors put up 7 points in the 4th quarter to make up the final score.

Coulter Thiele ran the ball 4 times for 150 yards, and scored twice. Grady Gatewood was 6-8 passing for 183 yards with three touchdowns. Thiele also hauled in 2 passes for 65 yards, and scored once.

Caden Nelson made 11 tackles while Mike Brands had 10. Trey Deemer added 8.

The Knights racked up 405 yards of total offense, including 222 on the ground.

Great job by Oakland-Craig of winning and taking care of business against Crofton Friday night.

The Knights (8-1) battle Hartington Cedar Catholic (8-2) on the road Friday night in the State Quarterfinals in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Trojans shutout Bridgeport 21-0 on the road on Friday.

Oakland-Craig routed Cedar Catholic 52-14 at home on October 9th.

The Knights look to do much of the same Friday night.

I feel like Oakland-Craig will win this one, I just don't know by how much.

I think it could be like a 24-point game or something like that, being as it is the second time these two teams are meeting and often times the second meeting is closer if the first meeting is a blowout.

The Knights could thoroughly dominate once again though.

The game is in Hartington, however, so I think that helps the Trojan cause.

I still look for Oakland-Craig to win and face either David City Aquinas or Ord next Friday night in the Semifinals.

I think best case scenario for the Knights is win and host the Monarchs next week.

Not that going out to Ord and winning isn't doable, but I think Oakland-Craig would rather play at home against a familiar opponent than on the road in unchartered territory against an unknown team.

Ord would be at home if they beat 10th seeded Aquinas as they are the 2 seed in the playoffs and the Knights are the 3 seed.

Friday night's game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 with pregame getting underway at 6:30 on the Bull.

Stanton routs Arcadia/Loup City in 2nd Round of Playoffs

 

The Stanton Football Team routed Arcadia/Loup City 56-14 on the road Friday night in the 2nd round of the Playoffs.

The game was tied at 14 at the end of one before the Mustangs went up 22-14 at halftime.

Stanton exploded for 22 3rd quarter points, and led 44-14 at the end of three.

The Mustangs added 12 points in the 4th quarter to make up the final score.

Parker Krusemark ran the ball 19 times for 128 yards, and scored three times. Sutton Pohlman had 110 yards rushing on 8 carries, and scored twice. Gage Tighe had 8 carries for 66 yards while Krusemark was 4-7 passing for 74 yards with two touchdowns. Ben Butterfield hauled in a 56-yard TD Pass.

Tighe had 12 tackles while Pohlman made 11. Bruggeman added 10 while Kamden Dusatko notched 8. Krusemark and Trey Elbert added 7 apiece.

Stanton had 403 yards of total offense, including 329 on the ground.

Great and dominating win for the Mustangs.

Stanton (8-1) takes on Dundy County-Stratton (9-0) in Benkelman on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. in the State Quarterfinals.

The Tigers won 48-30 at Nebraska City Lourdes Friday night.

It's one end of the State to another on Friday as Benkelman is located way down in the Southwest Corner of the State near the Colorado Border.

It's definitely a matchup of Northeast Nebraska vs. Southwest Nebraska.

I look for Stanton to win this one and reach the State Semifinals.

I feel like the Mustangs are more battle tested and have played tougher competition.

That and some of the best Football is played in Northeast Nebraska.

Stanton won big over the Rebels, and I look for the Mustangs to win again as an encore on Friday.

I don't know if Stanton will win as big as they did over Arcadia/Loup City, but I think winning by a few touchdowns is doable.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

This Mustang team is definitely making a playoff push in hopes of getting to Memorial Stadium.

Howells-Dodge falls to Burwell in 2nd round of Playoffs

 

The Howells-Dodge Football Team saw their season come to an end Friday night as the Jaguars lost 50-14 at home to Burwell in the second round of the playoffs in action aired on 107.9 the Bull. 

Here is the scoring summary and game recap from the contest:

First Quarter

Howells-Dodge 04:05 #22 Levi Belina runs for 4 yards. Touchdown! (Two point conversion run by #22 Levi Belina is good.)

Burwell Senior 01:10 #22 Levi Belina runs for -3 yards. Safety! #3 Cash Gurney on the tackle.

Second Quarter

Burwell Senior 10:25 #16 Caleb Busch runs for 11 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Burwell Senior 04:14 #16 Caleb Busch runs for 18 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Burwell Senior 01:32 #6 Barak Birch pass complete to #1 Levi Bode for 18 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Third Quarter

Burwell Senior 10:25 #16 Caleb Busch runs for 11 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Burwell Senior 04:14 #16 Caleb Busch runs for 18 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Burwell Senior 01:32 #6 Barak Birch pass complete to #1 Levi Bode for 18 yards. Touchdown! (Point after kick by #82 Casimir Koskela is good.)

Tomcak was 8-14 for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. R.J. Bayer made 4 catches for 75 yards and scored a touchdown. Tomcak made 12 tackles while Aandy Domginguez had 10. Belina, Bayer, and Jestin Bayer each made 9 while Lance Brester and Blake Sindelar each notched 8.

The Jaguars had 165 yards of total offense, including 143 through the air.

I have to admit I thought this game was going to be close. Hats off to Burwell for winning the way they did. I think a lack of a running game is what hurt the Jaguars in this one.

Howells-Dodge ends their year at 7-3.

Solid season for the Jaguars this year.

Howells-Dodge picked up nice wins over GACC twice and Clarkson/Leigh.

The other losses came to Cross County and Stanton, all teams still left in the playoffs.

Stat leaders for the Jaguars...Belina rushed for 1,351 yards and 21 touchdowns. Jestin Bayer led the way in tackles with 90 for the year. Dominguez added 82.

Howells-Dodge says goodbye to Tomcak and Landen Pieper.

Everyone else is back.

Key returners include Belina, Sindelar, Brittin Sindelar, Brester, Gavin Nelson, Aiden Meyer, R.J. Bayer, Jestin Bayer, Jacob Hegemann, and Brady Lund.

Lots of promise and potential for the Jaguars next season.

Tomcak and Pieper are two very solid seniors lost to graduation, but the majority of this team is back next year.

I'm sure Howells-Dodge is already looking ahead to 2021. It should be a great season for the Jaguars.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder falls to Ashland-Greenwood in first round of playoffs

 

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Football Team lost 24-7 at Ashland-Greenwood Friday night in the first round of the Playoffs.

The Raiders had a great season and hung with the Bluejays for a while.

LVSS wraps up the campaign at 7-3.

Outside of the regular season ending loss to Fort Calhoun, the season was very good for the Raiders.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder took care of business against just about everyone they were supposed to beat.

The Raiders were led by their very talented Senior Class this year.

LVSS says goodbye to Roberto Valdivia, Garrett Palmer, Riley Hoetfelker, Ty Miller, Hunter McNulty, Austin Muhsman, Dru Mueller, Keaton Bushlow, Jadin Beckwith, Jayden Korman, Brett Uhing, Preston Kotik, and Andrew Cone.

A very solid class for the Raiders lost to graduation.

Key returners for next year include Harrison Jordan, Alex Foust, Alex Hilbers, Aaron Fitzke, Gavin Ruwe, Jacob Purdy, Anthony Clements, Logan Booth, and Connor Licht.

So a lot of solid and great players lost to graduation, but a lot of key contributors back for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder as well.

The Raiders did great winning a District Title this year, and figure to have a chance to repeat that feat next year.

I look for LVSS to be solid once again next season, and have a quality team.

The Raiders have to work really hard in the offseason as the coronavirus pandemic allows.

The harder you work, the more successful you're going to be.

Let's hope this pandemic comes to a close before next season ends so we can all get back to normal. 

Pierce pulls away from West Point-Beemer in Playoff Opener

 

The West Point-Beemer Football Team gave Pierce a run for their money Friday night in action aired on 98.3 and 98.7 FM, falling 42-21 on the road.

The Bluejays led 14-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, and 21-14 at halftime.

The Cadets tied the game on the 2nd half kickoff, housing it 90 yards to make it 21-all.

It was all Pierce the rest of the way after that though as the Bluejays scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter to lead 35-21 at the end of three before scoring 7 4th quarter points to make up the final score.

Great and valiant effort from West Point-Beemer.

The Cadets end their season at 6-4.

West Point-Beemer had a season this year similar to 2017 and 2018.

The Cadets keep getting better and their program continues to be built.

West Point-Beemer definitely took some steps and some more strides Friday night, battling with Pierce the way they did.

For the Cadets to be tied in the 3rd quarter with one of the State's biggest powerhouses on their home field is really saying something.

West Point-Beemer should be very proud of what they did and accomplished this season.

I thought the wins over the two Columbus Schools were the most impressive wins of the season for the Cadets.

West Point-Beemer says goodbye to Edgar Rodriguez, Manny Barragan, Jesus Barragan, Ty Kaup, Alejandro Edeza, Kaleb Hasenkamp, Drake Repschlaeger, Nolan James, Zach Vander Griend, Joe Rodriguez, and Jesus Medina.

Key returners include Keegan Doggett, Riley Penrose, Bennett Meyer, Noah Ernesti, Cooper Colson, Aiden Hughes, Miguel Perez, Greyson Meyer, and Anthony Harrington.

So a lot of good players lost to graduation, but a lot of talent back as well.

Lots of talent is lost off of this year's team, but I look for the Cadets to retool and reload next year, and comeback even stronger in 2021. 

West Point-Beemer wins regular season finale over Schuyler

 

The West Point-Beemer Football Team routed Schuyler 35-6 on the road Friday night in the regular season finale.

The Cadets led 21-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and at halftime. West Point-Beemer added two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to go up 35-0 at the end of three. The Warriors scored on the final play of the game.

Good job by the Cadets finishing the regular season strong.

West Point-Beemer (6-3) travels to Pierce to take on the Bluejays (8-0) Friday night in the first round of the playoffs in action that can be heard on 98.3 and 98.7 FM. 

Pierce won 19-9 at Wayne in the regular season finale last week.

The Bluejays beat the Cadets 45-8 at home a few weeks ago.

West Point-Beemer had a very nice regular season.

The Cadets should be very proud of what they accomplished through the first 9 games.

With that said, West Point-Beemer has to get ready for Pierce.

The Cadets have to have a good game plan, and must execute it to perfection in order to beat the Bluejays.

Edgar Rodriguez has to go off for West Point-Beemer, and the Cadets have to be physical at the point of attack.

West Point-Beemer has to go into this one fearless and must expect to win.

The Cadets have to go in there and give it their all and do everything they possibly can to come out on top.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with pregame starting at 6:30 on 98.3 and 98.7 FM.  

Howells-Dodge wins playoff opener at GACC

Howells-Dodge and Guardian Angels Central Catholic met for the 12th time since 2011, and fourth time in the playoffs on Thursday night, Oct. 22 in Beemer.

The Jaguars won 42-14, eliminating the Bluejays from the Class D1 playoffs at 3-5 on the season.

Blake Sindelar returned the opening kickoff for a score and the two-point try put H-D up 8-0 less than 20 seconds into the game.

GACC had a punt blocked on their first offensive possession of the game, setting up the Jaguars at the GACC 19 yard line.

The Bluejay defense held, however, and H-D was turned away on fourth and goal.

The special teams woes continued for GACC, as the snap went over the head of their punter and into the end zone for a safety, putting H-D up 10-0.

After the safety kick, H-D took over at the GACC 32, and the drive ended on a two-yard run by Levi Belina. The two-point conversion made it 18-0 Jaguars with 1:44 left in the first.

Another bad snap on a punt play for GACC gave H-D the ball on the Bluejay seven yard line.

Jacob Tomcak hit Lance Brester for a seven-yard scoring strike, making the score26-0 in favor of H-D with 10:09 in the second quarter. The two-point try was good.

GACC was able to move the ball into H-D territory on their next drive, but the possession ended on a fumble recovered by the Jaguars.

H-D punted twice, GACC failed on fourth down and punted on another possession to chew up most of the remaining time in the second quarter.

The Jaguars got the ball on their own 36 with 2:24 left before halftime and needed just 23 seconds to go the 44 yards, as Tomcak and Brester connected for a second touchdown pass, this time from 20 yards. The two-point try was good, and H-D now led 34-0 with 2:01 before the break.

GACC ran out the remaining clock to send the game into halftime.

Both teams punted on their first drives of the second half.

On their next drive, GACC took over at the H-D 16 yard line, after the Bluejays were able to get a piece of the punt. GACC was able to put together a scoring drive, as Coy Kreikemeier plunged in from one yard out. The two point try missed and it was 34-6 H-D with 5:29 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars punted again and GACC received the ball on their own 11. A couple of plays later, Nate Niewohner broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion made it 34-14 H-D with 37 second left in the third.

The Jaguars put together a 50-yard scoring drive on their next possession. The drive ended on a four-yard run by Brester, and the two-point try made the score 42-14.

GACC turned the ball over on downs at midfield, and H-D was able to run out the remaining 6:49, preserving the 42-14 playoff victory.

Brester had 19 carries for 122 yards and the one touchdown.

Aandy Dominguez made 18 tackles while Jestin Bayer had 14. Belina added 9 while Nathan Hegemann made 7.

The Jaguars had 208 yards of total offense, 174 coming on the ground. 

The defense gave up 178 yards of total offense, including 167 rushing.

Solid win for the Jaguars.

Howells-Dodge is now 7-2 overall and advances to the round of 16 in the Class D1 postseason.

The Jaguars will face Burwell (9-0) at home Friday night in action that can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

The Longhorns won 47-14 at home over North Central in the first round of the playoffs Thursday night.

I think this game is going to go either one of two ways:

I feel like Burwell is either going to win a close game or Howells-Dodge is going to pull the upset.

When I worked at KRVN I was apart of a playoff upset when Elm Creek went up to a top seeded and undefeated Burwell team and upset them.

I believe the Buffaloes went on to lose to Arapahoe in the Quarterfinals that year.

This would of been 2012, and the game was in Burwell.

So my point is the stage could be set for an upset Friday night.

It's a long trip for the Longhorns, and they're playing in unfamiliar territory so you just never know what might and can happen.

Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Howells with pregame beginning at 5:00 on the Bull.

Stanton routs EMF in Playoff Opener

 

The Stanton Football Team routed EMF 81-28 at home in the first round of playoffs Thursday night.

Sutton Pohlman had 157 yards rushing on 11 carries, including two touchdowns while Parker Krusemark had 88 yards rushing on 10 carries, and scored four times. Gage Tighe added 79 yards rushing on 11 carries, and scored once. Brayan Acuna added 72 yards rushing on 2 carries, and had a TD. Parker Wiedeman had a 58-yard TD run.

Damien Erickson made 8 tackles while Kamden Dusatko and Mason Bruggeman added 7 apiece.

Stanton had 533 yards of total offense, including 500 yards rushing.

WOW!!!!!

The Mustangs (7-1) take on Arcadia/Loup City (6-3) on the road Friday night in the 2nd round of the Playoffs.

The Rebels beat Amherst 70-23 in the first round of the playoffs on the road Thursday night.

This figures to be an interesting and compelling game.

I think Stanton will be able to win this one though.

I feel the Mustangs' physicality and rushing attack will be too much for Arcadia/Loup City to handle.

Stanton is on a mission to make a deep playoff run so we'll see if the Mustangs can keep things going Friday night.

Stanton is doing some special things this season and has to keep things going and rolling Friday night.

It's a long road trip, but it will be a jolly ride home if the Mustangs win.

I'm sure Stanton doesn't care where they play a Playoff game, just as long as they win.

The Mustangs have flexed their muscles early on in the playoffs and throughout much of the season this year, and I look for Stanton to do more of that Friday night.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Loup City.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder upset by Fort Calhoun in regular season finale

 

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Football Team was upset 3-0 at home by Fort Calhoun in Friday night's regular season finale.

The Pioneers kicked a field goal in the 3rd quarter for the game's only points.

The Raiders gave up 180 yards of total offense, including 130 on the ground.

Surprising loss for LVSS you could say.

The Raiders (7-2) take on Ashland-Greenwood (9-0) in the 1st round of the Playoffs Friday night.

The Bluejays won 47-6 at Platteview in Friday night's regular season finale.

Not an easy draw for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, but I look for the Raiders to be competitive.

LVSS only lost by 4 to Wayne and Ashland-Greenwood beat the Blue Devils 28-20 so this should be a close one.

I fully expect the Raiders to be amped and fired up for this one.

I think Logan View/Scribner-Snyder will want to go out there and play better than they did last week too and make amends so to speak.

It's a brand new season and anything can happen, that's the beauty of the playoffs.

The Raiders have to go into this game fearless and ready to take the Bull by the Horns so to speak.

LVSS has to play inspired, and can't hold anything back.

The Raiders have to go out there and play well and play their game.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to hit hard and create turnovers and take care of the ball.

If the Raiders can hang around and keep things close until the 4th quarter they may have a shot of pulling the upset.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. 

Oakland-Craig beats David City in regular season finale

 

The Oakland-Craig Football Team shutout David City 48-0 on the road Thursday night in the regular season finale.

The Knights led 22-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and 41-0 at halftime.

Oakland-Craig scored their final points of the game in the 3rd quarter.

Grady Gatewood was 7-10 passing for 129 yards with a touchdown. Coulter Thiele had 83 yards rushing on 4 carries, and scored once, while Tavis Uhing toted the rock 13 times for 78 yards, and scored twice. Gunnar Ray made 3 catches for 59 yards. 

Mike Brands made 8 tackles.

The Knights had 347 yards of total offense, including 218 rushing.

Good response and a nice bounce back win by Oakland-Craig following the loss to Fremont Bergan.

O-C (7-1) plays host to Crofton (5-4) in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.

The Warriors won 63-6 over BRLD at home in Friday night's regular season finale.

The Knights beat Crofton 30-13 on the road at the beginning of the season.

The Warriors are a good tough team and figure to test Oakland-Craig once again in the playoffs.

I feel as if the Knights will be able to win this one though.

Oakland-Craig is at home and should be able to win over Crofton.

The Knights have to have good offensive balance once again Friday night though.

Oakland-Craig has to start fast and jump on the Warriors early.

I really feel as if O-C and Bergan could rematch in the State Championship on November 24th.

I think those two teams are the two best teams in C-2, and it could definitely happen since they're both on opposite sides of the bracket.

The new season for the Knights begins on Friday. Go get em Oakland-Craig!!!!

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

North Bend Central drops final game of season at Battle Creek

 

The North Bend Central Football Team lost 46-20 at Battle Creek Friday night to end the season.

The Braves led 14-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and 34-0 at halftime.

Battle Creek won the 3rd quarter 9-7 to go up 43-7 at the end of three.

The Tigers outscored the Braves 13-3 in the 4th quarter.

Ethan Mullaly had 97 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a touchdown. Trevor Ortmeier was 4-5 passing for 59 yards.

Hunter Johnston made 10 tackles while Breckin Peters notched 9. Austin Taylor and Ian Virka each made 8.

NBC had 207 yards of total offense, including 136 rushing.

The defense gave up 370 yards of total offense, 319 coming on the ground.

Tough end to the season for the Tigers, who lost their last four games after starting the season 3-1.

North Bend Central ends the year at 3-5.

Brodey Johnson finished the season with 1,536 yards passing with 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Mullaly had 828 yards rushing on the year to lead the team.

The Tigers lose Peters, Allan Orellana, Preston Thomsen, Gage Dunn, Taylor, Jarrett Poessnecker, Mullaly, Justin Drake, Johnston, Jace Owen, Demarius Bosveld, Landon Krenzer, Peyton Mitties, and Jacob Sousek to graduation.

Lots of seniors and lots of talent lost to graduation.

Key returners for next year include Johnson, Kaden Juhl, Ian Virka, and Gavin Kirschenmann.

Not a lot back for the Tigers next year so it will be up to the young guys to develop and grow in the offseason and step up next year.

There's a lot of work for North Bend Central to do if they want to get back to what they were prior to the 2nd half of the season this year.

The pandemic interruption literally changed the course of the season for North Bend Central.

The Tigers just weren't the same after not playing the Schuyler game in the middle of the season.

It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

Hopefully things will get back to normal before next season rolls around.

Tekamah-Herman falls to David City Aquinas in Season Finale

 

The Tekamah-Herman Football Team lost 46-7 at David City Aquinas Friday night to end the season.

Brock Rogers was 9-30 passing with 267 yards and a touchdown and four interceptions.

Jason Hoover had 5 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown.

Garrison Potadle had 19 tackles while Kody Bitter and Cole Bottger made 14 and 11, respectively. Kaleb Quick notched 9.

The Tigers had 269 yards of total offense, including 267 through the air. 

Great effort from Tekamah-Herman, they just came up short.

The Tigers end their year at 1-8.

It was a season with a lot of hope and promise coming in, and I think a tough schedule and injuries hurt Tekamah-Herman this year.

Rogers had 909 yards passing with 8 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Potadle led the way with 129 tackles on the year.

I think a strong running game is something the Tigers lacked this past season.

Tekamah-Herman was really strong in that area with Luke Wakehouse and Clay Beaumont last year, but struggled in the run game this year overall.

That's something I feel like the Tigers can improve on heading into next year.

Tekamah-Herman says goodbye to Bottger, Eldridge Jensen, Dylan Chatt, Potadle, Cole Freidel, Lucas Birdsong, Read Booth, and Eli Lingle.

Key returners include Rogers, Hoover,  Bret Brenneis, Garret Lindberg, Quick, Bitter, and Dawson Schram.

Lots of talented seniors lost this year, but some promising returners coming back next year.

The younger kids have to work very hard this offseason and prepare themselves for next season.

There will be lots of new faces for Tekamah-Herman next year as they will be breaking in some new players.

The Tigers have to do what they can to get back to making progress next season.

BRLD loses at Crofton in final game of Season

 

The BRLD Football Team saw their season come to an end on Friday night as the Wolverines lost 63-6 at Crofton.

The Warriors led 21-6 at the end of one and 49-6 at halftime.

Crofton added a touchdown in the 3rd quarter and another touchdown in the 4th quarter.

Difficult end to a difficult season for the Wolverines.

BRLD ends their year at at 2-6.

The Wolverines say goodbye to Derek Peterson, Dylan Beutler, and Mason Lami.

Key returners include Colten Briggs, Caden Hansen, Luke Ronnfeldt, Gus Gomez, and others.

BRLD loses some solid players, but returns some talent as well.

The Wolverines had a tough year, but there's always next year.

BRLD has to work hard to get back to the elite level they were at prior to this year.

The Wolverines can definitely get back to where they were in 2019 with a lot of hard work and perseverance.

Hopefully this pandemic ends soon and we can all get back to normal.

I'm sure BRLD was very thankful and grateful to play this season, but will want to get back to normal as soon as possible.

Hopefully things get back to normal before the start of next season so we can all have a normal 2021 football season.

GACC falls to Howells-Dodge in opening round of Playoffs

 

BEEMER – Howells-Dodge and Guardian Angels Central Catholic met for the 12th time since 2011, and fourth time in the playoffs on Thursday night, Oct. 22 in Beemer.

The Jaguars won 42-14, eliminating the Bluejays from the Class D1 playoffs at 3-5 on the season.

Blake Sindelar returned the opening kickoff for a score and the two-point try put H-D up 8-0 less than 20 seconds into the game.

GACC had a punt blocked on their first offensive possession of the game, setting up the Jaguars at the GACC 19-yard line.

The Bluejay defense held, however, and H-D was turned away on fourth and goal.

The special teams woes continued for GACC, as the snap went over the head of their punter and into the end zone for a safety, putting H-D up 10-0.

After the safety kick, H-D took over at the GACC 32, and the drive ended on a two-yard run by Levi Belina. The two-point conversion made it 18-0 Jaguars with 1:44 left in the first.

Another bad snap on a punt play for GACC gave H-D the ball on the Bluejay seven-yard line.

Jacob Tomcak hit Lance Brester for a seven-yard scoring strike, making the score 26-0 in favor of H-D with 10:09 in the second quarter. The two-point try was good.

GACC was able to move the ball into H-D territory on their next drive, but the possession ended on a fumble recovered by the Jaguars.

H-D punted twice, GACC failed on fourth down and punted on another possession to chew up most of the remaining time in the second quarter.

The Jaguars got the ball on their own 36 with 2:24 left before halftime and needed just 23 seconds to go the 44 yards, as Tomcak and Brester connected for a second touchdown pass, this time from 20 yards. The two-point try was good, and H-D now led 34-0 with 2:01 before the break.

GACC ran out the remaining clock to send the game into halftime.

Both teams punted on their first drives of the second half.

On their next drive, GACC took over at the H-D 16 yard line, after the Bluejays were able to get a piece of the punt. GACC was able to put together a scoring drive, as Coy Kreikemeier plunged in from one yard out. The two point try missed and it was 34-6 H-D with 5:29 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars punted again and GACC received the ball on their own 11. A couple of plays later, Nate Niewohner broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion made it 34-14 H-D with 37 second left in the third.

The Jaguars put together a 50-yard scoring drive on their next possession. The drive ended on a four-yard run by Brester, and the two-point try made the score 42-14.

GACC turned the ball over on downs at midfield, and H-D was able to run out the remaining 6:49, preserving the 42-14 playoff victory.

Niewohner had 83 yards rushing on 9 carries, including a touchdown.

Cash Meier had 15 tackles while Bryan Ortmeier made 12. Cole Hutchinson totaled 9 while Niewohner, Jaryn Smeal, and Noah Kreikemeier, each made 8. Dylan Steffen added 7.

GACC had 178 yards of total offense, including 167 rushing.

The Jaguars amassed 208 yards of total offense, including 174 on the ground.

The Bluejays end their year at 3-5.

It definitely wasn't a typical GACC like year.

The Bluejays were young and had some new guys on the offensive line and struggled at times.

There were some bright spots though.

The wins over Clarkson/Leigh and Nebraska City Lourdes were huge.

GACC just wasn't consistent enough throughout the course of the season to have a better record, in my opinion.

Coy Kreikemeier had 703 yards passing with 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on the season for the Bluejays.

Cody Steffen was the team's leading rusher with 796 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Smeal made 104 tackles on the season while Cody Steffen notched 101.

GACC says goodbye to Thomas Kreikemeier, Josh Jansen, Smeal, Meier, Noah Kreikemeier, and Ortmeier.

Key returners include Hutchinson, Reece Schlecht, Coy Kreikemeier, Niewohner, Dylan Steffen, Ethan Wooldrik, and Michael Cohee.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Bluejays.

The returning starters and newcomers have to work hard to get this program back to an elite level.

Pender blanked by Osceola in Playoffs

 

The Pender Football Team lost 52-0 at Osceola in the first round of the playoffs Thursday night.

The Bulldogs led 16-0 at the end of the 1st quarter and 46-0 at halftime.

Osceola scored 6 third quarter points to make up the final score.

Braxton Volk was 10-23 for 52 yards passing. 

Caleb Trimble made 9 tackles while Jacob Bruns had 7.

The Pendragons had 85 yards of total offense, including 54 through the air.

The Bulldogs racked up 382 yards of total offense, including 344 on the ground.

Pender simply played a great Football Team Thursday night.

The Pendragons end the season at 5-4.

The highlight of the season had to be the 46-14 win over Winside in action that we had on 107.9 the Bull.

Volk finished with 1,067 yards passing on the season with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Trimble finished with 725 yards rushing for the year with 9 touchdowns while Dylan Vogt ran for 607 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Pender says goodbye to Vogt, Jaxon Maise, and Lucas Timm.

Three very good and solid seniors lost to graduation.

Key returners include Volk, Chase Hofmeister, Bruns, Evan English, Trimble,  Quinton Heineman, Brody Krusemark, and Colton Sanderson.

The three players the Pendragons lost will be really difficult to replace, especially Vogt, but Pender has to be excited about the future.

The Pendragons have to get back to work as soon as possible and continue to do what they can despite the pandemic.

Hopefully this pandemic clears up before next year begins and hopefully we can all get back to normal.

I'm sure Pender was very happy just to have a season this year, but would like some sense of normalcy again heading into next season.