Elkhorn Valley celebrated the Falcons' first trip to the state volleyball tournament in nine years the only way they knew how - a fantastic pep rally.
Students, parents and friends met at the Elkhorn Valley gym on Thursday to send the Falcons off to Lincoln with a pep rally. After introductions, the girls took part in a team-building activity before being fed ice cream by their siblings. The coaches and seniors then took turns thanking their friends and family before hitting the road to Lincoln. The Falcons will take the court on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Meridian at Lincoln East High School. If Clearwater-Orchard fans are looking for positive news for the future of the volleyball team, look no further than the three record-setters in the junior class.
The Cyclones finished the year with a 20-11 record, the most wins in a single season since Clearwater and Orchard began their co-op. To do so, it took a record-breaking performance from juniors JoCee Johnston, Julian Tuttle and Grace Rittscher. The trio combined to break five different team records this season in leading the team to the second round of subdistrict play. Johnston proved herself to be one of the top hitters in the state as she recorded 314 kills on the season. Rittscher also set a season record for the Cyclones, pulling up 451 digs to lead the Clearwater-Orchard defense throughout the year. The best statistical game of the year for all three came in the first round of subdistricts when O-C took on Boyd County. The match turned out to be a five-set victory for the Cyclones, with all three girls making their mark in the process. Johnston put down an astounding 28 kills on the night. A lot of Johnston’s strong work came thanks to the pinpoint accuracy of Tuttle, who set the Cyclones up with 42 assists on the night. While those two were using their strong offense to keep the Spartans on their heels, Rittscher was busy on the defensive end, bringing up 39 digs to keep the Cyclones in control much of the game. The first day of the winter sports season is officially November 30, but the Wolfpack are going to give fans a chance to see them in action a bit earlier.
Elgin Public/Pope John will host Palmer in a preseason jamboree on Monday, November 27. The girls will go head-to-head at Elgin Public at 6 p.m. The boys will take the court shortly after. The Wolfpack will then start the regular season on Friday, December 1 when they travel to Verdigre to take on Niobrara/Verdigre. Those wanting to watch the Elkhorn Valley volleyball team at state won't have to miss school or much work on Thursday.
The Falcons drew the eighth seed at state and will take on No. 1 Meridian at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at Lincoln East High School. With a win, Elkhorn Valley would then play on Friday at 11 a.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Click here for the full bracket. One side rushed the court. The other stared in disbelief.
Most of the pre-game talk heard around the Neligh-Oakdale gym Thursday night included the world sweep, suggesting the match against Elkhorn Valley was nothing more than a formality for Elgin Public/Pope John as the Wolfpack were expected to punch another ticket to the Class D1 state tournament. But someone forgot to tell the Falcons. Elkhorn Valley made that clear as the players circled around each other after receiving their district championship trophy — and their ticket to the state tournament — before cheering "brooma-sweepa-momma-sweepa-momma-sweepa-broom" to the delight of the hundreds of fans who had rushed the court. A near capacity crowd watched Antelope County's biggest volleyball match of the season as 16-11 Elkhorn Valley swept 25-5 EPPJ — 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 — to win the D1-3 district championship. Although the Wolfpack sit fourth in wildcard points, a stacked D1-1 district has doomed EPPJ's chances at qualifying for state after Thursday's loss. No. 1 Meridian will get the first wildcard after a 3-0 loss to Johnson-Brock last night. As for the second wildcard, No. 3 Bruning-Davenport/Shickley fell earlier in the week 3-0 to Meridian and likely will get the nod. BDS is third in power points and .172 points ahead of the No. 4 Wolfpack. Those less than two tenths of a point will likely keep the 25-5 Wolfpack home next weekend. Official state pairings will not be announced until Saturday after the rest of the district finals are played around the state. The Wolfpack volleyball season came to an end Thursday night as EPPJ dropped a three-set match to Elkhorn Valley in the district final.
The Falcons won 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to end EPPJ's season. Full stats and more photos will be added to the story. Elgin Public/Pope John is just one win away from a second straight trip to the state volleyball tournament.
The Wolfpack had to battle back from a one-set deficit against the upset-minded West Holt Huskies but managed to churn out three straight wins to take the subdistrict championship 17-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19. The two teams matched up well, with West Holt countering EPPJ's high-powered attack with stingy defense and strong serving. The first set started a bit sloppy for both teams, before a 10-2 run by the Huskies gave them the set win. In the second set, it took some time for the Wolfpack to take over the momentum, but eventually they were able to pull away to take the win. The third set was back and forth affair, with each team taking the lead multiple times throughout. However, a tough block from Lydia Behnk sparked the Wolfpack to a victory. The fourth set saw EPPJ string together a number of scoring runs en route to the win. Behnk led the Wolfpack with 12 kills on the night. Paige Meis accounted for 11 more and Grace Henn put down 10. Those three kept setters Nicki Payne and Allyson Wemhoff busy, as the two combined for 34 assists on the night. Kaylee Martinsen did much of her scoring from the service line, putting down three aces. Defensively, the Wolfpack were led by Behnk and Martinsen's three blocks. Wemhoff brought up 17 digs, Payne recorded 14, Calli Krebs had 13, Meis had 12 and Anna Heilhecker had 10. The Wolfpack will now take on Elkhorn Valley, with the winner qualifying for the state volleyball tournament. The game will be played Thursday in Neligh at 7 p.m. The Neligh-Oakdale volleyballers were on fire to start the night on Monday before cooling down and seeing their season come to an end.
The Warriors took part in the C2-8 subdistrict tournament in O’Neill. Neligh-Oakdale started the night with a four-set win over second-seeded Ainsworth. The Warriors took down the Bulldogs 25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 25-23. The Warriors edged out the Bulldogs in a hard fought first set before stumbling in the second set. In the third set, Haley Kerkman served up 11 straight points for the Warriors, including three aces, to lead them to a victory. In the fourth set, it took a thrilling comeback but Neligh-Oakdale pulled out the match win. Amanda Dietz was unbeatable at the net, putting down a game-high 20 kills. Bailey Frey ended with six kills while Jaclynn Hixson and Shelby Pitzer each recorded four more. Kerkman added three, Kristen Snodgrass had one and Trinity Kurpgeweit had one. Besides the three aces from Kerkman, the Warriors also got three aces from Snodgrass and two from Frey. Defensively, Dietz led the way with four blocks. Snodgrass was active, bringing up 28 digs. Kerkman added 18 digs and Trinity Kurpgeweit was responsible for 16. The win sent Neligh-Oakdale on to a match up with top-seeded Creighton. The match was a challenging one for both squads, but the Bulldogs were able to come away with a straight-set win over Neligh-Oakdale 25-23, 25-20, 25-19. Frey led the way for the Warriors with eight kills. Dietz and Hixson each put down seven more kills. Kurpgeweit had three kills, Kerkman had two and Snodgrass had another. Frey also had another good game from the serving line, finishing with three aces. Pitzer and Snodgrass each added another ace for the Warriors. Defensively, Dietz, Frey and Hixson each had four blocks. Snodgrass and Pitzer brought up 14 and 10 digs, respectively. Elkhorn Valley is just one game away from a trip to the state tournament since 2008.
The Falcons took home the D1-5 subdistrict championship on Monday with two wins in Creighton. They started the night off against Osmond. The Tigers took down the Falcons in an exciting first set, but Elkhorn Valley took control the rest of the way to win in four sets 27-29, 25-14, 25-17, 25-21. Elkhorn Valley got points in a variety of ways. At the net, Hannah Ollendick and Sierra Rystrom were dominant. They put down 16 and 15 kills, respectively, as part of the Falcons’ 44 team kills. They were also strong from the serving line, posting five aces each, matched by five more from Amber Miller. Miller controlled the flow of the game throughout, dishing out 32 assists. The second game of the night matched Elkhorn Valley up with the top seed, Randolph. The results were a near-mirror image of the Falcons’ first game, with Elkhorn Valley losing the first set before taking the next three, 24-26, 25-23, 25-23, 25-16. Ollendick and Rystrom were again on top of their game, posting 19 kills each. As a team, the Falcons had 11 aces, with two each coming from Ollendick, Miller, Olivia Nall, Bri Werner and Jasmine Wiese. Defensively, Miller brought up 26 digs while Nall added 23 more digs. The win sends Elkhorn Valley on to the district final. They will play on Thursday against the winner of Tuesday’s Elgin Public/Pope John and West Holt battle. One Antelope County team took a step closer to the state tournament on Monday night in Niobrara while another saw its season come to an end. Clearwater-Orchard started the night out by taking on Boyd County in the opening match of the D1-6 tournament. The Cyclones were able to outlast a determined Spartan squad 25-19, 25-18, 13-25, 23-25, 15-6. The Cyclones came sprinting out of the blocks, taking the first two sets with relative ease over the familiar opponent in Boyd County. However, the Spartans wouldn't go down easy, running away with the third set before rallying from a 19-11 deficit in the fourth to send it to a decisive fifth set. After being tied at four in the fifth set, Clearwater-Orchard reeled off 11 of the next 13 points for the win. JoCee Johnston had a monster game for Clearwater-Orchard. She had five blocks to go along with 29 kills. She hit on 65.9 percent of her kill attempts to keep Clearwater-Orchard's season alive. Avery Cheatum added eight more kills for the Cyclones as well. The serving was strong for O-C against Boyd County, with the team putting down 12 aces, with five coming off the arm of Grace Rittscher and three from Julian Tuttle. Tuttle was busy offensively all game, distributing 43 assists while Rittscher did her work on defense by pulling up 40 digs. The win sent the Cyclones on to take on fellow Antelope County foe Elgin Public/Pope John. Clearwater-Orchard showed plenty of fight in the match, but were ultimately put away by the Wolfpack in straight sets 25-16, 27-25, 25-21, ending the Cyclones' season. Johnston was again impressive, putting down 13 kills and six blocks. Katie Stearns added seven more kills while Cheatum had six. Rittscher and Tuttle did work from the serving line once again, combining for seven aces in the game. For Elgin Public/Pope John, the four-headed monster of Lydia Behnk, Grace Henn, Paige Meis and Kaylee Martinsen was too much for the opponent once again. They posted eight, seven, seven and six kills, respectively. Those four kept setters Allyson Wemhoff and Nicki Payne busy as they posted 18 and 12 assists, respectively. Clearwater-Orchard vs Boyd CountyClearwater-Orchard vs Elgin Public/Pope JohnFall sports in Antelope County is in its final week - barring a highly possible state tournament appearance by a team or two. For a number of area seniors, this week will be their last time on a volleyball court, one of just many things to watch this week at the different tournaments.
1. The who and when The four Antelope County teams will be at three different spots tonight. Neligh-Oakdale will navigate the C2-8 bracket in O'Neill, starting at 6:15 p.m. Elkhorn Valley will offer up the first serve in Creighton at 6:30 p.m. Clearwater-Orchard and Elgin Public/Pope John will both be in Niobrara, with the Cyclones starting things off at 5 p.m. If they win, they will take on the Wolfpack at 7:30 p.m. 2. Neligh-Oakdale needs its best. Believe us, the Warriors know they have the talent. If they can put it all together, the C2-8 bracket is theirs for the taking. They take on Ainsworth to start things off, a team that has had plenty of struggle of their own. If they win there, their opponent will either be Niobrara/Verdigre, a team Neligh-Oakdale beat in the regular season in dominant fashion, or Creighton, who the Warriors pushed to the limit earlier this year. With the talent the Warriors can trot out there, two wins tonight is certainly attainable. 3. Elkhorn Valley ready for a bounce back. The Falcons' last time on the court was not one they want to remember. However, tonight should be a good chance to get back to what they like to do - winning. They start the D1-5 tournament against Osmond, a team they dominated on pink out night just a few weeks ago. They'll then either play Plainview, who they beat in straight sets earlier this season, or Randolph, a team who has seem similar ups and downs this season, with a win. Two wins tonight, and the Falcons can plan for a date on Thursday with (likely) another area team. 4. The Cyclones have to like their first-round matchup. Clearwater-Orchard drew the fourth seed in a loaded D1-6 bracket. Fortunately, that set them up on a date with a familiar foe - Boyd County, a team they've beaten twice this year in straight sets. If they can take care of business, they have shown that they have the ability to hang with the higher-seeded teams this season. 5. EPPJ will settle for nothing less than a return to state. The Wolfpack made their first trip to the state volleyball tournament last season and they certainly don't plan to miss out this year either. EPPJ has been just as dominant this season as last and, as evidenced by the epic showdown with Ewing on Friday, they have proven they can go toe-to-toe with anyone. They currently sit very favorably in the wildcard standings, so chances are they are locked in no matter what. However, a wildcard spot isn't in their plans. Their sights are set on a district championship. Two of the top teams in the area - if not the state - met on the court on Friday night to decide the Niobrara Valley Conference Championship.
Elgin Public/Pope John and Ewing met in O'Neill in the NVC title game, producing an absolute thriller of a match. Both teams took turns controlling the match, with the Tigers making a comeback after being down two sets to none for the 3-2 win, 17-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 15-9. The game seemed to be all Wolfpack to start. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and didn't look back all set. In the second set, Ewing was the one to jump out to a lead, going up 6-2 before EPPJ battled back to knot it at eight. The two teams battled back and forth before the Wolfpack went on a 6-2 run of their own to close out the set. The third set was all Ewing, as they lead from the first serve all the way to the end. In the fourth, Ewing again jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but this time EPPJ battled back until the Ewing lead was just 9-7. However, the Tigers then were able to pull away, taking the set fairly commandingly. In the fifth set, the crowd was on the edge of their seat throughout, with the two teams trading blows out to a nine-all tie. However, Ewing then reeled off six-straight points to take home the conference title. Three Wolfpack girls finished the night with double-digit kills. Paige Meis had a team-high 13, Grace Henn had 11 and Lydia Behnk added 10. Also doing some scoring for EPPJ was Allyson Wemhoff, who finished with two aces on the night. Calli Krebs was the center of the EPPJ defense all night, bringing up 25 digs, with many of them coming with great difficulty. As a team, the Wolfpack also put down eight total blocks, with two each coming from Behnk, Henn, Nicki Payne and Kaylee Martinsen. After charging back in the second half of the season to qualify for the state playoffs, Neligh-Oakdale saw it's season come to an end in the first round on Thursday.
The Warriors kept it close early on, but 34 straight points from Lourdes Central Catholic was enough to put Neligh-Oakdale away 48-20. Neligh-Oakdale got on the board when Julien Hearn took a Hunter Charf pass 69 yards to tie the game up at eight. Neligh-Oakdale then tied it again, this time at 14, when Colton Klabenes barreled in from one yard out. Unfortunately, the Warrior offense went cold after that, not scoring again until the fourth quarter when Charf punched it in from one yard out for the final score of the Warriors' season. Despite the early exit from the playoffs, coach Ron Beacom said his team his shown lots of improvement since day one. "Our execution was better in all three phases of the game by the end of the year. We had an opportunity to develop so many young kids and yet remained competitive in the majority of our competitions. By the end of the year, opposing coaches were stating how impressed they were with what we put on film compared to what they saw on the roster," he said. One of the trigger men behind that improved execution was quarterback Hunter Charf, who finished the day with a team-high 44 yards on the ground and 186 yards through the air, racking up two total touchdowns and zero turnovers. Andrew Herley, the team's leading rusher on the year, added 26 yards on the ground on nine carries and another 28 yards on six catches. Austin Rice accounted for 66 yards through the air on six catches and Jayden Arehart caught two passes for 12 yards. A number of freshmen joined in on the action. Klabenes had the touchdown on his only carry of the night, Hearn finished with 85 yards on three catches and Garret Belitz and Brock Kester combined for 19 yards rushing. Those freshmen are just some of the reason's to like Neligh-Oakdale's potential in the future, something the Beacom acknowledges. "Like we told the kids after the game, there is a lot of potential here for us to really have a nice run of success in football in the very near future," Beacom explained. "However, potential can be a dirty word. It means we haven't accomplished it yet, so it will be very important for all of them to continue to work their craft and get in the weight room and participate in other sports, etc. so that they can better themselves as individuals and that will allow us to put together the best product as a team next fall." Defensively, the Warriors had four players finish with double digit tackles. Klabenes led the way with 15 total tackles. Charf added 12 tackles and a sack. Kaleb Pofahl accounted for 10 more tackles. Senior Nate Buck had a strong game to finish his high school career, racking up 13 tackles, including one for a loss. His work both on and off the field will be missed by coach Beacom and his staff. "We will miss Nate Buck and Thomas Daniel," said Beacom. "Especially, the leadership that Nate has provided us on the field for the last few years. He has really grown and developed as a quality linemen on both sides of the ball. It will be important for some of the younger kids to build on the success that they experienced over the last month and come into next fall with a confidence that will start us at a higher point than what we are ending on." ![]() After an explosive first half of scoring, Clearwater-Orchard and Perkins County put up more than 70 points in their Thursday afternoon battle in Clearwater. Unfortunately for OC, the Plainsmen won the gridiron war 44-28 in the first round of playoffs. With the wind blowing 30 mph and temperatures in the mid-40s, the weather was miserable for the Class D1 playoff. But the Cyclones have faced tough conditions and kept fighting throughout the game. Perkins County's Alex Patrick helped the Plainsmen to a quick 12-0 lead with back-to-back touchdowns, the first from 30 yards out and the other from 65. The Cyclones fought back with a score from Creston Bertschinger to make it 12-8. But Perkins County was determined to keep the lead as junior fullback Domonic Wendell scored with 17 seconds remaining in the first to make it 18-8 as the Plainsmen made a habit out of falling short with their PAT attempts. Wendell popped into the end zone again to start the second, making the 24-8 deficit tough for the Cyclones. But OC fought back just like coach Jeff Shabram said they could with another Berschinger score and a Jake Long touchdown. Running a toss sweep, Kester found Bertschinger on the left side. Then the senior cut back to the middle of the field and made the 55-yard run look easy. The Cyclones were at a similar spot in the field Kester handed the ball off to Jacob Long who ran straight up the middle for the touchdown, making it a 30-22 game at the half. Perkins County scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and shut out the Cyclones to take a commanding lead 44-22 lead into the final stanza. OC didn't waver, though, as Blake Hoke connected with Berschinger for a 25-yard score to make it 44-28. The Cyclones just couldn't keep the momentum going as Perkins County sealed the win. The Cyclones end their season at 6-3. Perkins County 18 12 14 0 - 44 Clearwater-Orchard 8 14 0 6 - 28 The 2017 volleyball subdistrict brackets have been announced for D1-5. The Elkhorn Valley Falcons have been set as the #2 seed.
The Falcons take on #3 Osmond at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, October 30th in Creighton. The subdistrict final game will be played Monday, October 30th at 8 p.m. in Creighton. The 2017 volleyball subdistrict brackets have been announced for C2-8. The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors have been placed in the #3 seed.
The Warriors will take on #2 Ainsworth on Monday, October 30th at 6:15 p.m. in the O'Neill High School gym. The subdistrict final game will be played Monday, October 30th at 7:30 p.m. in O'Neill. The 2017 volleyball subdistrict brackets have been announced for D1-6. Elgin Public/Pope John has been named as the #1 seed with OC following in the #4 seed.
The Cyclones take on #5 Boyd County at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 30th in Niobrara. The Wolfpack will then take on the winner of the Cyclone and Spartan game at 7:30 p.m. The subdistrict final game will be played Tuesday, October 31st at 7 p.m. in Niobrara. 1. The who and when
The quest for a state championship heats up on Thursday when the 2017 playoffs kick off across the state. Neligh-Oakdale makes their return to the playoffs after a forced one-year layoff. They will travel to Nebraska City to take on Lourdes Central Catholic at 5:30 p.m. Clearwater-Orchard is also back in the playoffs, this time as an eighth seed. They will host ninth-seeded Perkins County at 3 p.m in Clearwater. 2. How's the weather? Hold on to your hats! No, seriously. It is going to be windy. Whether you are staying here or heading to Nebraska City, it is going to be a windy day. Gusts may even reach up to 50 miles per hour. With that, comes some chilly weather. Bundle up. The high is expected to be in the mid-60's, but it certainly won't feel like it with that north wind in your face. 3. Neligh-Oakdale has grown up fast Just about everyone associated with the Warriors is trying to forget that week one loss to Creighton. However, since then, Neligh-Oakdale has seen its fair share of trials and victories, giving this young team plenty of chance to grow up. The best part about that growth is that the run defense has really stepped up. In late October and early November, there is no better winning formula than controlling the ground game. 4. Clearwater-Orchard has the talent to go far The Cyclones made a quick exit last year, falling in the first round to the eventual state runner-ups. However, this year, all but two of those kids are back. They are bigger, stronger and faster. They are also proven, with a win over the defending state champion Burwell and a near win over Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing. If the Cyclones can stay healthy, fans may be making lunch plans in Lincoln on November 20. 5. First round predictions Neligh-Oakdale is stepping into a huge challenge for their young team. LCC has been among the top teams in the state the past three seasons. They will give the Warriors all they can handle. If the Warrior defense continues its strong streak and the offense takes care of the ball, they will move on. Clearwater-Orchard has a matchup with a very run-heavy team. Perkins County is averaging more than 300 yards per game on the ground. However, much of that came in their wins over teams that won four or less games this year. The Cyclone defense is going to be far too strong in this one and their offense will spread the ball around as usual. They win and move on. After being knocked out of the Niobrara Valley Conference championship race last season by North Central, Elgin Public/Pope John got payback on Tuesday when they took down the Knights to advance to this year's championship game.
The Wolfpack avenged last year's loss in straight sets 25-16, 25-22, 25-21. It wasn't without plenty of struggle, however. The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams knotted up at 15 before EPPJ went on a 10-1 run to finish the set. In the second set, North Central jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead before the Wolfpack were able to find their groove and slowly battle back to tie it up at 18. The two teams traded blows the next few points, but a 4-1 lead gave the Wolfpack set number two. In the final set, EPPJ jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Knights kicked it into gear eventually taking a 16-12 lead. The Wolfpack then battled back to take a 19-17 lead that they held to the end when a Grace Henn kill gave them the win. The Wolfpack hitting was impressive as they connected on 39.8 percent of their attempts on the night. They were led by Lydia Behnk, who put down 13 kills, and Henn, who had 12. Allyson Wemhoff did her part on offense from the serving line, recording four aces on 19 serves. Defensively, Kaylee Martinsen was a wall, putting down four blocks, with Behnk adding another. Calli Krebs pulled up 19 digs while Wemhoff and Nicki Payne each had 13. Wemhoff and Payne also combined for 39 assists on the night. With the win, EPPJ advances to the NVC championship game against Ewing. They will meet in O'Neill on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Clearwater-Orchard kicked off the Niobrara Valley Conference Tournament on Monday on a high note, but by the end of the night, their run was done.
The Cyclones started off the tournament as the sixth seed against eleventh-seeded St. Mary’s. O-C took that game in straight sets 25-8, 25-13, 25-14. The Cyclones dominated the whole game, led by their top attacker, JoCee Johnston. She finished with a game-high 13 kills to go along with her two blocks. Grace Rittscher was incredible at the service stripe, putting down five of O-C’s 11 aces. That win sent them on to a second-round battle with the third seed, North Central. O-C fell this time in straight sets, 25-12, 25-11, 25-17. Johnston again did her best at the net, putting down ten kills. She and Brooklynn Chipps each put down three blocks as well. Rittscher and Julian Tuttle were all over the court defensively, bringing up 21 and 10 digs, respectively. It was all Antelope County in Elgin on Monday night in the first two rounds of the Niobrara Valley Conference tournament.
EPPJ won its 11th straight match as the Wolfpack downed Neligh-Oakdale in straight sets, winning 25-14, 25-15, 25-12. Paige Meis and Grace Henn were unstoppable at the net with 13 and 11 kills respectively. Defensively, Calli Krebs and Nicki Payne were all over the court as they combined for 32 digs. Allyson Wemhoff added another 14 individually, along with her 20 set assists. The most even match of the night saw Neligh-Oakdale upset Elkhorn Valley 25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24. The back-and-forth battle easily could have went five sets, but the Warriors pulled out the win in a balanced fourth set. Hannah Ollendick led the Falcons with 10 kills and 24 digs while Amber Miller picked up 20 digs and had 23 set assists. The NVC semifinals will also be at Elgin Public. No. 1 Ewing will take on No. 5 West Holt at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday with No. 2 EPPJ playing No 3 North Central at 7:30 p.m. Elgin Public/Pope John 25 25 25 Neligh-Oakdale 14 15 12 EPPJ: Allyson Wemhoff 2a, 14d, 20sa; Calli Krebs 17d, 1sa; Lydia Behnk 7k, 1b; Kaylee Martinsen 6k, 1a, 1b, 3d, 1sa; Anna Heilhecker 6; Paige Meis 13k, 9d; Grace Henn 11k, 2d; Nicki Payne 2k, 15d, 11 sa. Neligh-Oakdale 25 25 23 26 Elkhorn Valley 17 19 25 24 Elkhorn Valley: Hannah Ollendick 10k, 24d; Sierra Rystrom 6k, 1b, 9d; Sadie Smutny 1k, 1a, 4d, 1sa; Olivia Nall 5k, 1a, 1b, 23d; Kirstyn Evans 1d; Bri Werner 1k, 2a, 9d; Jasmine Wiese 18d; Amber Miller 5k, 2a, 20d, 23sa. The Clearwater-Orchard football team is headed to the 2017 playoffs as the 8th seed.
The Cyclones (6-2) will host No. 9 Perkins County (6-2) on Thursday, Oct. 26, in the first round of the Class D1 playoffs. Click here for the full bracket. The Neligh-Oakdale football team is headed to the 2017 playoffs as the 10th seed.
The Warriors (4-4) will take on 7th-seed Lourdes Central (5-3) on Thursday, Oct. 26, in Nebraska City in the first round of the Class D1 playoffs. Click here for the full bracket. After starting the season 1-4, Neligh-Oakdale has hit a hot streak just in time for the playoffs.
The Warriors have reeled off three-straight victories, including Friday's 50-14 win over Humphrey/Lindsey Holy Family. Neligh-Oakdale got scores out of Hunter Charf and Andrew Herley in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-6 lead. In the second, Herley added two more scores to give the Warriors a 28-6 lead at the break. In the third quarter, Charf found Austin Rice in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown. Herley then pulled in an interception before the end of the frame to set Neligh-Oakdale up on the Bulldog 24. In the final quarter of the night, Herley added another score. Kaleb Pofahl hauled in an interception and Julien Hearn capped it all off with a 65-yard dash to bring the game to an end. While the offense went on a scoring explosion, coach Ron Beacom credits his defense for their hot streak the last few weeks. "I can't say enough about our play in the trenches. Over these last three games, we have really started to run the ball pretty well and we have held all three of those opponents below 100 yards rushing. You can win a lot of games when you dominate the line of scrimmage. Nate Buck, Tucker Knust, Kaleb Pofahl and Austin Rice have really done a tremendous job of moving people and creating holes and Andrew Herley as well as Hunter Charf are both really running with a lot of confidence. That same group as well as Colton Klabenes at linebacker have really made us a very stout run defense," said Beacom. To be exact, that defense held the Bulldogs to just 179 total yards, including 94 on the ground. That defense was led by Klabenes, who finished the day with 12 tackles. They also pulled in the two interceptions and Charf recovered a fumble. Offensively, Herley was the man of the night, putting up 118 yards on the ground and 42 more receiving. His four touchdowns were a game high. Hearn added 91 yards on the ground and Charf added 76. Neligh-Oakdale celebrated their football players and parents on Friday night with their annual parents night.
Warrior seniors are Nate Buck and Thomas Daniel. Head coach is Ron Beacom. Friday also served as a blackout for the Warriors, who ended their regular season with the home game. Neligh-Oakdale will play again next week in the playoffs. |
News That Matters To Antelope County - Your News. Your Way. Every Day!
© Pitzer Digital, LLC