Week 4 Friday Night Lights football Heroes - Part 1

Henderson Heartland RB Austin Stuhr (#25) has reached the 1000 yard rushing mark in just 3 games.

Week 4 Friday Night Lights football Heroes - Part 1

By Bobby Mills (1000 Yard Guy)

We head into Week 5 of the 2016 high school football season and already have a 1000 yard rusher. A 1000 yards in 4 games you say? Nope. This 8-Man runner has reached the magic plateau in just Three games. THREE.

In my running backs preview this summer, I made the statement that this young man could not only play in Class A, but be a starter. It's happened in the past, an 8-Man football player moving from a smaller school to a Class A football program and transitioning just fine.

A name that comes to mind locally is Rocky Senkbeil, who made the move from 8-Man football at Nebraska Christian to a starting slot on the Grand Island senior high defense. He later played for Nebraska.

Once again, lots of names and units to salute from Week 4.

***1000 Yard Rusher Alert***

*Austin Stuhr-Heartland (Henderson) - Last week in the Huskies 62-44 win over a good Nebraska Christian team, Stuhr absolutely exploded for 448 yards on 35 carries and hit the end zone eight times. The 6-0, 180 pound senior had touchdown runs of 47, 48, 3, 40, 29, 48, 50 and 14 yards plus making 18 tackles on defense.

In addition to the 448 yard outburst vs. Nebraska Christian, Stuhr ran for 255 on 25 carries in a 52-28 loss to High Plains, then followed up with 386 yards on 41 touches in a 74-44 win over Giltner.

After 3 games Austin Stuhr has 1,083 yards, 18 touchdowns, 42 tackles, 4 sacks and a fumble recovery on defense.

Stuhr isn't a Johnny-come-lately either. A year ago, Austin zipped for 1,511 yards, scored 20 TDs, made 114 tackles, intercepted a pass and blocked 2 field goals. Check out this stat for Stuhr.

In the past 8 games, spanning 3 this year and the last 5 in 2015, Stuhr has rushed for 2,029 yards and crossed the goal line 31 times.

You may also want to know this. Last May, Austin Stuhr won the Class D 100 Meters, was 2nd in the 200, losing by a hundredth of a second, was 2nd in the 400, losing by 16 hundredths of a second, and anchored the 400 Meter relay to a 2nd place, losing by only 20 hundredths of a tick.

I still say this kid could start for any Class A team in the state. Pure football player from head to toe.

.......oh, one other small thing I failed to mention. According to MaxPreps, the prep stat site, Austin Stuhr is the Nation's leading 8-Man rusher with his 1,083 yards.

*Dylan Egr-Wahoo - You wonder how badly this kid wanted to play running back? Listed as a wide receiver in Bob Jensen's pre-season Huskerland Prep Report, the 5-9, 155 pound junior took the RB slot this fall and has run like he's played the position all his life.

In last Friday's 44-6 trouncing of Louisville, Egr rushed for 162 yards and scored about in about every fashion possible. Dylan caught a 13 yard scoring pass from Josh Abbott, scored on a 1 yard run, returned a kickoff 75 yards for a score, then brought a punt back 74 yards for another six.

Egr now has rushed for an unofficial 622 yards in 4 games for the undefeated and #2 rated Warriors (C-1). Do not forget, Wahoo closes the season with Aquinas, then meets cross town rival Bishop Neumann.

*Jordan Flowers-Omaha Central - Senior QB was a shining star in the Eagles exciting 31-28 last minute win over visiting North Platte. Flowers was 12 for 16 in the passing department for 218 yards and scored the winning TD with only 20 seconds remaining in the game. Flowers TD runs were of 1 and 5 yards.

*Arnijae (AJ) Ponder and Tyler Chadwick-Omaha Burke - These 2 gentlemen did their damage in a hurry and in a brief amount of minutes in the Bulldogs 51-0 win over Omaha South.

Ponder ran for 128 yards on 7 totes and scored on an electrifying 93 yard run. Arnijae added an 11 yard TD run while sophomore QB Tyler Chadwick completed 5 of 6 passes for 110 yards and a score.

Chadwick has been on target with 66% of his passes, good for 814 yards this season.

*Will Wagner-Central City - This guy has done a terrific job filling the shoes of graduated All-State quarterback Mitch Carlson.

Last week in a 40-3 shocker over pre-season #1 Hastings St. Cecilia, Wagner, who played wide receiver in 2015, hit 11 of 17 passes for 148 yards and 3 TDs. Wagner also rushed the ball 13 times for 124 yards two more scores.

Can you say Player-of-the-Game?

Thus far in 2016, Wagner heads the Class C-2 list in yards passing with 872 yards and 11 TDs. Not bad for a former WR, huh?

*TJ Davis-Boys Town - How dangerous is this 6-0, 170 pound junior quarterback for the Cowboys? Davis kept hammering away last Friday until his Boys Town team came away with a wild 50-40 win over Ashland-Greenwood.

Davis was true on 13 of 19 passes for 234 yards and 5 TDs. He also ran for 45 and 15 yard TDs and made 3 tackles on defense.

For the year, TJ Davis is 52 of 79 passing for 712 yards and 13 TDs with only 2 picks. That is hitting his targets at a 68% clip boys and girls.

*Bryce Zimmerer-Creighton - Coach Gene Suhr rode this 5-9, 160 pound sophomore last Friday afternoon to the tune of 41 carries. Zimmerer responded with 227 yards rushing and TD runs of 1 and 8 yards as the Bulldogs shocked the daylights out of West Holt, 56-14.

After being blown out by Neligh-Oakdale 72-44 in the season opener, Creighton has beaten West Boyd 76-0, then the West Holt blowout. Zimmerer's 3 game rushing total stands at 384 yards and 5 TDs.

This Creighton bunch looks like a State Championship team to me right now. Remember, Neligh-Oakdale is not eligible for the Class D-1 playoffs this fall.

*Ryan Neumann-Creighton - Neumann is the man that directs this potent Creighton attack and the key to a title run. In that manhandling of West Holt, the 6-0, 180 pound senior hit on 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and 4 touchdowns, all in the 1st half. Tyler Stubben caught 2 of Neumann's scoring tosses (42, 9 yards) while Tyler Lilly snared the remaining two TD receptions covering 10 and 8 yards.

This Neumann dude is athletic, mobile and very intelligent.

***1000 Yard Passing Alert***

*AJ Hubner-Creighton Prep - Completed 20 of 41 passes for 239 yards and a score in the Jay's 17-12 loss to Millard North. Hubner, a 6-1, 180 pound senior, now has 1,039 yards passing and has made these salutes every week. That's what they do at Prep.

*Trevor Luzum-Exeter-Milligan - There always seems to be a dude like this left over from a State Championship (or two) team that has graduated nearly everyone. Luzum would be that player.

Exeter-Milligan has been in the last three Class D state championship games (2 in D-1, 1 in D-2), winning one in each division. This team was literally untouchable the past 3 years, just beating its opponents to a pulp with guys like Sam Zeleny, Nolan White, James Sluka, Derek Luzum, Kyle Jensen, and Garrett Pribyl. These guys had the best form tackling I have seen in years for those Timberwolves teams.

Anyway long story short, Trevor Luzum has caught fire the past 2 weeks, running for 236 yards/4 touchdowns vs. Parkview Christian, then 136 yards on only 8 carries and 3 TDs in the Timberwolves 56-14 thumping of Meridian.

Luzum is up to 504 yards in 4 games, only 94 yards away from his entire 2015 total.

*Gus Delatour-Arthur County - 5-10, 175 pound senior ran for 235 yards on 35 carries and scored 5 TDs in the Wolves 52-18 victory over 6-Man opponent Hay Springs.

Delatour also made 12 stops on defense and recovered a fumble in the afternoon contest.......no other to play 'em at Arthur, you see (no lights). Gus now has 516 yards on the ground in 2016.

*Treyson Bigler, Alex Schreiner-Lincoln Christian - This pair of 155 pound juniors made life miserable for a very good Falls City team last Friday afternoon. Afternoon?

Lincoln Christian has played their home game at Nebraska Wesleyan, have for years. They have no home field.....well they do, but no lights and more of a practice field, although nice.

The Crusaders, who have had seasons of 4-5 and 2-7 the past 2 years, decided that a change of venues might change their luck.

After dropping their first three games by a combined score of 96 to 40, the powers-to-be decided to move their Saturday night game at Wesleyan to their own field and play in on Friday afternoon.

It will go down as the Crusaders first home game in history and Falls City certainly did not enjoy the outcome.

Junior quarterback Treyson Bigler connected with his classmate, Mr. Schreiner for long distance TD throws covering 82 and 70 yards, then spotted Reid Houchin for a 59 yard TD.

Bigler ended up with 335 yards passing including that 70 yard bomb to Schreiner with under 4 minutes to go. I'll be darned if Lincoln Christian didn't upset Falls City 20-14. My hunch is that Falls City might not agree to move games anymore.

*Zayne Heckenlively-Falls City - Surely you didn't think Lincoln Christian stopped Zayne Heckenlively did you? Not a chance. The outstanding senior ran 29 times for 228 yards and a TD in that Tiger loss.

Heckenlively now has 698 yards after 4 games in this fall. Zayne also has 25 tackles on defense. Heckenlively, who zipped for 1,501 yards and 20 TDs a year ago, has been held under 100 yards only 3 times in the last 14 games.

This kid is so talented.

Nebraska High School Rushing Leaders after Week 4 (All Classes)*

*(11-Man unless otherwise indicated)

Austin Stuhr-Henderson Heartland.......................1,083 (3 games) (8-Man)

Max Mason-Scottsbluff..............................................849

Drake Gilliland-Mitchell.............................................806

Jaylin Bradley-Bellevue West....................................786

Trent Reed-Hay Springs..............................................783 (6-Man)

Wyatt Hamer-Battle Creek........................................753

Brayden Olson-St. Edward.........................................750 (6-Man)

Quentin Moles-Bloomfield.........................................744 (8-Man)

Gage Alenander-Banner County................................727 (6-Man)

Finest Hampton-Papillion LV South...........................703

Baxter Beals-Meridian.................................................699 (8-Man)

Zayne Heckenlively-Falls City......................................698

Gentry Anderson-Arapahoe........................................678 (3 games) (8-Man)

Hunter Friend-Fullerton..............................................676 (8-Man)

Marc Zeckser-Doniphan-Trumbull.............................653

Trenton Harbour-Stapleton........................................647 (8-Man)

Milton Sargbah-Omaha North................................. ..632

Dylan Egr-Wahoo..........................................................622

Trevor Nichelson-Ashland-Greenwood............... .....598 (3 games)

Easton Clark-Hershey................................................ ..581

Dylan Kautz-Norfolk Catholic.................................... .574

........and one under the heading "Uncovered some History"

While doing some research for Broken Bow, I discovered that the legendary basketball icon Bill Holliday could also play a little football.

In 1959, while playing running back for 6-Man Wilsonville, Mr. Holliday rushed for 1,160 yards. I cannot recall a time that I was more excited to add a name to my 1000 Yard Club.

This honor just adds to the long list of incredible feats Bill Holliday accomplished during his athletic career at Wilsonville.

I can truly say I am blessed to have this man as a friend.