Week 1: Pick Six NEK/NCK Recaps

Concordia outlasts Wamego in wild four-overtime thriller

There’s bonus football and then there’s the extra football Concordia and Wamego gave their fans in Friday’s season opener.
Not only could regulation not decide the battle between the North Central Kansas League rivals, neither could one overtime. Or two. Or three.
Nope, it took four overtimes before Concordia was able to pull out a back-and-forth crazy affair that saw both teams have multiple chances to win the game.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions, highs and lows,” Concordia coach Jordan Echer said. “We are always telling our players to trust each other and not be afraid to fail. We saw them stick together and trust each other through the last snap of the game.”
Concordia led the bulk of the way, holding a 14-7 lead late in the fourth quarter – denying Wamego inside its own 5 about midway through the quarter. But unable to run out the clock, the Panthers gave the ball back to Wamego late in the period and this time, the Red Raiders capitalized.
Chase Cottam’s 33-yard touchdown run on a reverse and ensuing PAT kick tied the game with 2:34 to play. Concordia quickly drove deep into Wamego territory, but in the closing seconds fumbled the ball away, sending the game to overtime.
That’s when the fun began.
Concordia struck first, getting a 3-yard touchdown run from Keyan Miller – one of three scoring runs for the senior back in the overtime periods – on fourth down. Miller then added the two-point conversion for a 22-14 Panther lead.
Wamego had an immediate answer as Hayden Oviatt tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass on second down and then ran in the tying conversion.
Getting the ball to start the second overtime, Wamego struck right away on Hunter Phillmore’s touchdown run on first down. But when Concordia stuffed the conversion try, it gave the Panthers a chance to win after Aidan Poore ran it in from six-yards out. But the snap was bobbled on the PAT try, sending things to a third overtime.
Miller scored on first down to start it, but Wamego held on the conversion. This time, the Red Raiders had the chance to win it with a PAT after Oviatt scored from three yards out. But the kick was wide left and the game went to a fourth overtime.
Oviatt hit Collin Donahue on fourth-and-6 to put Wamego back up, but Concordia again stopped the conversion. Down to their final play to avoid defeat, the Panthers got a 6-yard TD run from Miller on fourth down and then Joey Henderson booted the PAT home for the 41-40 win.
“Although we had a bad snap on a previous PAT, we trusted our snapper, holder and kicker to execute in the final OT, which they did,” Echer said. “We also trusted our offensive line, and Keyan, to get six yards for the game-tying touchdown on fourth down.”
Miller finished with 174 yards rushing and four touchdowns while Poore had a pair of touchdown runs. Oviatt led Wamego with 185 yards and two touchdowns rushing and also threw for 65 yards and two scores.
“It was a good game,” Wamego coach Weston Moody said. “Hopefully we can take better care of the ball next time around.”
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CKLYpuWc9c


HOLTON 25, NEMAHA CENTRAL 24
If there was a deja-vu feeling to Friday’s opener between the Big Seven League rivals, well, for good reason.
In last year’s season opener, Holton claimed a 15-13 victory on Matt Lierz’s field goal as time expired – a controversial ending after a late penalty on the Thunder gave Holton a second chance after Lierz’s first game-winning field goal try was blocked.
This time around, Lierz was the hero again.
Down 24-22 after Zac Kramer kicked a 20-yard field goal to put the Thunder ahead with just under four minutes left in the game, Holton drove the length of the field and Lierz booted a 32-yard field goal for the game-winner. Lierz also ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass in the first half as Holton built a 14-7 lead.
Nemaha cut the lead to 22-21 going into the fourth quarter on the second of two Kramer touchdown runs. The Thunder threatened deep inside Holton territory in the fourth before settling for Kramer’s go-ahead field goal, setting up Holton’s final drive in which the Wildcats twice converted on fourth down to keep it alive.
Kramer threw for 120 yards and ran for 79 in the loss.

ROSSVILLE 38, CENTRALIA 0
The reigning Class 2A champion Bulldawgs got off to a somewhat slow start, but found their groove in the second quarter to blow out visiting Centralia in a battle of teams ranked in the preseason – Rossville No. 1 in Class 2A; Centralia No. 4 in Class 1A.
Rossville racked up 437 yards of total offense with senior quarterback Torrey Horak the expected catalyst. Horak picked up right where he left off last year in an All-State season, rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns and adding 77 yards and a touchdown passing.
Corey Catron added 98 yards and two scores on the ground as well and Rossville’s defense stymied Centralia all night.

OSAGE CITY 41, LYNDON 0
Osage City lost just once during the 2020 regular season, 22-15 to Lyndon in last year’s season opener after the Tigers rallied for two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the win.
This season, the Indians put the game out of reach early, jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter with three touchdowns in a span of just more than four minutes. Osage City tacked on single touchdowns in each of the next three quarters and its defense came up big all night, holding Lyndon to just 118 total yards.
Landon Boss threw for 158 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 97 yards and a score and Brody Littrell had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Indians.

FRANKFORT 60, WASHINGTON COUNTY 34
Frankfort avenged its only regular-season loss from a year ago, outscoring Washington County 22-0 in the second quarter to break open a tight game.
Caden Dalinghuas, Ethan Armstrong and Lane Loiseau each ran for two touchdowns in the game. The Wildcats had seven rushing touchdowns overall and gained 332 yards on the ground, spreading the production with Dalinghaus’ 98 yards tops.
Washington County got an interception return for a touchdown from defensive lineman Coy Stamm and had a pair of 100-yard rushers in Trenton Zenger (119 yards, TD) and Payton LeDuc (110 yards, 2 TDs). But after taking a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, the Tigers gave up 38 straight points to Frankfort.

AXTELL 62, WHEATLAND-GRINNELL 16
For the second straight year, Isaac Detweiler was just too much for Wheatland-Grinnell to handle.
In last year’s season-opener, Detweiler threw for 296 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Eagles to a 58-18 win. In Friday’s rematch, Detweiler only managed 147 yards and two touchdowns passing.
Instead, he repeatedly burned the Thunderhawks with his feet, rushing for 154 yards and five touchdowns. Axtell jumped out to a 24-0 lead and led 46-16 at halftime.
As impressive as Detweiler was, Axtell’s defensive performance might have been even more so. The Eagles held Wheatland-Grinnell standout back Isaac Mendez, who ran for 1,607 yards and 31 touchdowns last year, to just four yards on six carries.
Wheatland-Grinnell quarterback Trey Vincent threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, but the Thunderhawk offense found the end zone just once, a Mendez kickoff return for a touchdown their other score.