Week Seven Friday Night Lights football Heroes - Part 1

Millard North FB Noah Mick (#22) is off to the races against Lincoln NE. The senior blitzed the Rockets for 280 yards Saturday. *(photo courtesy of Kelly Mick)

Last weekend was a true test of how well a football team was able to handle their ground game when the weather is not conducive to putting the ball in the air . Numerous areas throughout Nebraska experienced rain, many had to play through torrential, driving rains. Some tilts were postponed until Saturday, most of which were in the Eastern part of the state. But the bottom line was this. You’d better have you running shoes on and be able to grind (slosh) it out when conditions like this roll around.

So, if you see anyone on this list who compiled mentionable passing and receiving stats, they deserve it, if they played during the driving rains.

*Noah Mick (FB) - Millard North - The 190 pound battering ram must have had a good night’s sleep on Friday because he was rarin’ to go on Saturday morning in Lincoln.

After the nightcap of the Seacrest Field DH was postponed till Saturday morning, Mick showed up and bolted for 280 yards on 31 carries and 3 touchdowns in the Mustangs 35-19 triumph over Lincoln Northeast. Noah’s TD runs came from 22, 8 and 5 yards out. Mick also recorded 8 tackles on defense (often dodging an official) and was a thorn in the side of Rockets sophomore QB Shadon Shannon all morning.

Noah Mick is a tough customer when he gets a football in his hands. Mick not only runs a 4.5 forty, but benches over 300 pounds and owns a quick burst that gets him through the defensive line in a hurry. The man is nearly impossible to bring down one on one.

With just two regular season games remaining, 3-4 Millard North could use all the Noah Mick that Fred Petito decides to throw at Fremont and Millard South.

***1000 Yard Rusher Alert***

*Bailey Darnell (RB) - Auburn - The 6-1, 175 pound junior broke loose for 159 yards on 20 totes and 4 touchdowns in a 60-7 thrashing of Louisville. Darnell hit the end zone on runs of 53, 1, 48 and 2 yards in the game, which was completed on Saturday.

That pushes Bailey Darnell over the coveted thousand yard mark with 1,027 yards thus after 7 games. That also places Darnell in some pretty impressive company that have toted the ball for the Bulldogs over the years.

Luke Lundy, Quint Hogrefe, and Steve Cole are legendary Auburn names that Darnell now shares the spotlight with. The last runner to crack the 1000 yard barrier for the “Dogs was Quinn Boden (1,019 yards) in 2014.

*Milton Sargbah (RB), Zander Gray (RB) - Omaha North - Dynamic Duo combined for 333 yards rushing and 6 TDs in the Vikings 49-28 victory over then No. 1 Omaha Burke. Sargbah rambled for 202 yards on 22 carries and two scores (54, 5 runs) while big Zander went for 131 yards on 24 totes with touchdown runs of 19, 3, 10 and 2 yards.

That enables Omaha North to hip hop over Bellevue West and take over the Number 1 slot in the recently released Omaha World-Herald Class A ratings. The Vikings and Bellevue West do not meet during the regular season this year.

The fleet-footed Sargbah increased his season rushing total to an unofficial 1,299 yards (15 TDs) while his partner in the Omaha North backfield, Zander Gray, sits at 969 yards and 17 TDs.

Is this duo the best 1-2 backfield punch in the history of Nebraska prep football? Considering the fact that this isn’t a RB/FB combination and the two super backs alternate time in that Viking backfield, it may be difficult and better pair.

*Deshawn Bates (ATH) - Boys Town - In Boys Town’s 34-0 win over Omaha Concordia, the do-everything Bates had 217 yards of total offense and five TDs for the No.4 and 7-0 Cowboys.

Bates hit paydirt on runs of 13, 12, 66, and 12 yards and also caught a 25 yard touchdown pass from Tijaih Davis. With Deshawn’s rushing total at 958 a week ago, it’s a safe bet the dude is over 1000 yards, but we stay on the safe side until it’s confirmed.

Confirmed or not, Deshawn Bates is one of Class B’s most dangerous players. So athletic and a pure nightmare for defensive coordinators, not to mention the defenses themselves.

*Jake Gappa (RB) - Kearney Catholic - I knew it, I knew it and could have told you so after seeing this kid play live just one time. With the horrible weather hovering over Minden’s football facility, the Stars turned to Gappa’s legs and he responded with 249 yards on 26 carries and a couple of touchdowns.

Jake scored twice in Kearney Catholic’s 30-8 win over the Whippets. His scoring runs came from 3 and 32 yards out. Matt Masker scored on an 18 yard run himself and thought he’d better include his WR pal, Brett Kaiser in the box score, so he flipped 14 yard TD pass to the record setting wide-out.

You can figure on the No. 3 Stars to be a major player in the Class C-1 playoffs with Masker at QB and the ever present running threat of Jake Gappa in the backfield.

*Kanon Koster (RB), Miko Maessner (RB), Matt Stute (FB) - Kearney - Trio helped rack up 370 ground yards in the Bearcats 42-13 win over visiting Papillion LV.

The hard running Koster needed only 8 touches to ramble for 135 yards and a 46 yard TD. Miko Maessner, the 6-1, 180 pound sophomore, rushed for 115 yards on just 5 touches and two TDs (22, 67 yards) while Matt Stute ran 16 times for 115 yards and two scores covering 17 and 7 yards.

Kanon only put the ball in the wet, heavy air 5 times, but still completed 4 of those for 65 yards and yes, two touchdowns. Miko Maessner reeled in a 21 yard scoring reception from Koster while Bret Obermiller caught a 15 yard TD strike.

This Friday No. 8 Kearney will host No. 5 Creighton Prep in one of Class A’s finest matchups of the season. Yes, I will be there and beat both teams to the field.

*Spencer Wichmann (QB/LB), Drake Kunze (DB/TE), Chad Samuelson (DE/RB), Dominic Donahey, (DL/OG), Roy Guzman - Palmer -

This quintet helped Palmer pulled off something you just do not witness everyday. In a battle of the Tigers, Palmer knocked off then Class D-1, No.5 East Butler, and on the road to boot. Not only that, but Palmer pitched a shutout of East Butler in what folks in the Central Nebraska town referred to as the Mud Bowl.

Despite nearly impossible conditions, especially in the 2nd half, QB Spencer Wichmann still managed to complete 9 of 18 passes for 99 yards and the game’s lone touchdown, a 26 yard scoring pass to sophomore Roy Guzman. But it was Luke Thompson’s stout defense that stole the show. Wichmann and Kunze led the way with 13 tackles each. Samuelson followed with 12, while 200 pound lineman Dominic Donahey plugged up the middle with 11 stops.

This may seem like a shock to most, but you have to realize Palmer head coach Nathan Glause is one of the best 8-Man coaches in the state. His players know the raw fundamentals of of football…...blocking and tackling and do it well, win or lose.

*Dylan Plautz (QB), Jaden Kohls (RB), Caleb Schweigart (WR) - Omaha Westside - Threesome was instrumental in the Warriors 38-7 win over Lincoln North Star.

Plautz, Westside’s record setting quarterback, completed 14 of 26 throws for 252 yards and 2 TDs. Kohls ran 19 times for 86 yards and two scores (5, 6 yards), plus caught 3 passes for 89 yards and 2 more TDs (24, 59 yards). The All-State Caleb Schweigart pulled down 7 receptions for 109 yards in the lopsided win.

The win improves No. 8 Omaha Westside to 5-2 on the season with regular season games remaining against 2nd rated Bellevue West and unrated Norfolk.

Seven game totals for these three go like this; Dylan Plautz - 115 of 186 passes for 1,739 yards (61%), 18 TDs, 6 INTs. Jaden Kohls - 693 yards on 102 carries, 11 TDS, 24 receptions for 484 yards and 7 TDS and 10 Kick Returns for 446 yards, 2 TDs. Caleb Schweigart - 40 receptions for 496 yards and 5 TDs. How valuable is Jaden Kohls to this Omaha Westside team?

*Bryland Menicucci (RB/PR) - Yutan - Speedy senior rushed for 218 yards on 35 carries to lift the Chieftains to a 28-7 win over Wilber-Clatonia. The big victory by Yutan ended Wilber-Clatonia’s 19 game winning streak.

And the amazing thing about this win? Yutan had played only once in the last 28 days due to two forfeit wins over Humboldt-TRS and Omaha Brownell-Talbot. No rust here.

*Cole Zima (OL/DL) - Mead - 6-1, 225 pound senior beat up on Weeping Water in the Raiders 36-16 win over the Indians. Zima made 19 tackles in the game, but 4 were for losses and four of the losses were QB sacks.

Playing in only five games thus far because of a forfeit, Zima has still managed to make 44 tackles. Tough hombre.

*Andy Reel (QB) - Millard South - Completed 16 of 22 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns in Millard South’s 38-7 win over Lincoln East, the Patriots 5th in a row.

Reel’s trio of scoring passes were nabbed by Colton Wolf (7 yards), DeQuain Glass (30 yards) and Spencer Stenger (32 yards). Isaiah Harris added a 26 yard touchdown run in the win, while Ryan Lawrence broke loose for a 62 yard TD dash.

The five game winning surge has lifted Andy Means forces to the No. 9 spot in this week’s World-Herald Class A ratings.

*Anthony Bruhn (RB) - Clarkson-Leigh - His 196 yards on 20 carries helped the Patriots scored 44 unanswered points in Clarkson-Leigh’s 68-30 win over Elgin/Pope John. Head Coach Jim Clarkson’s Patriots have now won two in a row and 3 of their last 4 games to improve their record to 3-3. Clarkson’s team will meet 2-4 Humphrey/Lindsay Family before closing out the regular season with rival and Class D-1’s No. 4 Howells-Dodge.