Week Three Friday Night Lights High School Football Heroes

*Breckan Schlueter-Exeter-Milligan/Friend - The EMF 8-Man football star became the 60th running back in Nebraska Prep Football history to surpass the coveted 5000 yard career rushing mark in a 64-62 triple overtime loss to Sandy Creek last Friday in Fairfield. Schluter bolted for an amazing 335 yards and 7 touchdowns on a grueling 54 carries to raise his 4 year rushing total to 5,190 yards. Breckan now has 802 yards and 15 TDs in just three games for the 2-1 Bobcats

*Ethan Shaw-Sandy Creek - Junior quarterback was a shining star in the Cougars triple OT 64-62 win over EMF. Young Ethan had a part in EIGHT Sandy Creek touchdowns, completing 13 of 21 passes for 247 yards and 4 scores. He also rushied 21 times for 85 yards and 4 more touchdowns. Ethan also averaged 40.5 yards on his punts. Jack Clark was on the receiving end of two Shaw aerials, catching three for 90 yards.

This Sandy Creek football team is Good.

*Drake Zimmerman, Dane Jacobsen, Landon Sobota, Austyn Cote,Thomas Spears -Ashland-Greenwood - Yes, this many Bluejays impressed me in A-G’s 42-24 victory over Aurora last Friday. Bruising RB Drake Zimmerman churned his way for 140 yards on 22 carries and FIVE TD runs covering 14, 4, 37, 18 and 9 yards in the win. All-State Quarterback candidate Dane Jacobsen completed 12 of 17 passing attempts for 193 yards, including a 13 yard scoring toss to Swiss Army Knife Thomas Spears. Spears, who does it all, caught 4 Jacobsen passes for 52 yards, made 15 tackles (11 solos), broke up 4 passes on defense and returned a punt 17 yards.

5-8, 165 pound defender extraordinaire Austyn Cote recorded 18 tackles and was literally everywhere on defense and last but not least, BIG Landon Sobota, whom I have officially adopted as my personal bodyguard (should I ever need one) had 6 tackles and is simply one of the best linemen in the state.

*Talon McDonald-Scottsbluff - Tied a State Record with a 59 yard field goal in the Bearcats 51-28 win over Fredrick. Colorado. McDonald now shares the record with former Millard South ace Chris McClanahan, who booted a 59 yarder against Lincoln East in a 1999 playoff tilt.

*Carter Nelson-Ainsworth - Just another day at the office for the Husker recruit in Ainsworth’s 28-0 win over Burwell. All Carter did was rush 18 times for 123 yards, complete 8 of 10 passes for 90 yards, catch 5 passes for 29 yards and a TD, make 12 tackles with on interception on defense, boot FIVE kickoffs into the endzone for touchbacks and averaged a fat 46.7 yards per on 3 punts.

*Conor Booth-Wahoo Neumann - Despite his team trailing GICC 14-12 at halftime, Conor Booth went about his usual business, rambling for 297 yards and FOUR touchdowns on 27 totes in the Cavaliers 34-21 win over the Crusaders. One of Booth’s touchdown runs covered 78 yards and a slew of broken tackles. The Nebraska football recruit now has 740 yards and 13 touchdowns going into Friday’s road matchup against unbeaten Hastings St. Cecilia, a game that will give me the chance to take a look at the talented Neumann junior.

*Orrin Kuehn-Minden - The 5-8, 160 pound junior ran for 182 yards on 30 carries and made 5 tackles on defense in the Whippets 28-14 win over Kearney Catholic. The 2-1 Minden squad’s only setback is an opening night 7-6 loss to Adams Central.

*Steven Frede-Lincoln Northwest - Through three losses, this 5-11, 185 pound senior has played defense like a Man. In a 48-13 loss to Elkhorn North last Friday, Frede made 17 tackles. After three games, Steven LEADS Class B in tackles with 43 (18 solos). I like this. Nice job Steven Frede, YOU are a winner.

*Aiden Norman, Fletcher Dubas, Roe Patton-Fullerton - Norman, the 6-0, 175 pound Warriors standout, rushed for 141 yards on 25 carries and 3 touchdowns in Fullerton’s 50-14 victory over Twin River. He also caught 3 passes for 26 yards and another TD. Speedy Quarterback Fletcher Dubas was nearly perfect with his passes, connecting on 6 of 7 for 72 yards and 3 touchdowns. State Pole Vault Champion Roe Patton caught 4 passes for 63 yards and was on the receiving end of two Dubas scoring tosses.

*Anthony Rezac, Jahmez Ross, Keynan Cotton, Caleb Benning-Omaha Westside - In Westside’s 45-12 win over Bellevue West; Anthony Rezac completed 13 of 17 passes for 177 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 100 yards on just 9 tries, scoring from 1 and 79 yards out. Ross was the Warriors 2nd 100+ rusher in the win, going off for 113 yards on just 11 carries. Keynan Cotton hauled in 3 passes for 62 yards with scoring receptions covering 40 and 17 yards and finally, the great Caleb Benning caught 3 passes for 47 yards and the opening score covering 15 yards, He also made 8 SOLO tackles and picked off a pass.

*Jett Thomalla, Amerion Jackson, Noah Feller-Millard South - The fact that two out of three of these honorees are only Sophomores should make Class A football teams a bit uneasy. In the Millard South 56-19 win over rival Millard North, sophomore QB Jett Thomalla’s passing arm must have been jet-propelled, as he completed 12 of 23 throws for a gigantic 367 yards with 4 TDs. Jett’s classmate Amerion Jackson caught 3 of his 4 scoring passes, compiling 5 total receptions, good for 144 yards and those three touchdown receptions. Senior RB Noah Feller carried the ball just 7 times, but exploded for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Thomalla already has 785 yards passing with 6 TDs and just one pick. Jackson is sitting at 10 catches for 266 yards, while senior Noah Feller has 335 yards rushing and 125 in receiving yards.

This Millard South bunch isn’t Omaha Westside, but is certainly a force to be reckoned with in Class A circles. Remember, Millard South visits Omaha Westside on October 13th.

*Grayson Sack-Grand Island Central Catholic - The 5-9, 160 pound Sophomore QB had a huge game in the rejuvenated Crusaders 34-21 loss to Wahoo Neumann. Sack completed 16 of 35 passes for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns, rushed 12 times for 49 yards, made two tackles and recorded a beautiful 56 yard Pick Six in the game. Young Grayson Sack has now thrown for 484 yards and 4 TDs in GICC’s first three contests. The Crusaders, who did not win a game a year ago, are rolling down the right track with new Head Coach Jeff Ashby, one of the best coaches in the biz.

*Jakin Neal, Tucker Biskup-Alma - Check out the numbers in the Cardinals wild 74-52 win over Thunder Ridge, Kansas. QB Neal hit 11 of 17 passes for 321 yards/5 TDs. In just three games, the Alma gunslinger has completed 78% of his 36 passes for 636 TDs with only one INT.

Tucker Biskup, the sophomore, seems to be the Carter Nelson of Southwest Nebraska, rushing 7 times for 70 yards and 3 TDs, catching 5 passes for another 105 yards with another trio of scores and even completing 2 of 3 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the Thunder Ridge victory.

*Grady Kelly-Central Valley - Junior running back was at it again since I saw him last, zipping for 277 yards on 19 carries and FIVE TDs in a 49-12 victory over Anselmo-Merna. He also made 9 tackles and has increased his 3 game rushing total to 539 yards with 11 touchdowns through 3 games.

*Sam Sauerdyke-Thayer Central - Big Sam seems to be picking up steam each week. In the Titans 52-8 conquest of Heartland, Sauerdyke ripped off 206 yards rushing on 23 touches and 4 touchdowns. He also amassed 16 stops on defense. Man, this young man reminds me sooooo much of former Fillmore Central Legend, Mike Brower.

*Becker Pohlman, Barrett Wilke-Stanton - This pair of Juggernaut Juniors were awful tough on Weeping Water in a 52-22 win for the Mustangs. Slotback Pohlman, a 1,438 yard rusher a year ago, bolted for 173 yards on 19 carries and a TD and made 9 tackles on defense. Quarterback Barrett Wilke went off for 209 yards on 22 carries and FIVE touchdowns. He also tossed a 10 yard scoring pass to big Mitchell Hupp.

Folks, we are just 3 games deep into the season and Wilke already has 518 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing with Pohlman not far in the rear view at 463 yards/7 TDs. Oh yeah, Wilke can throw the ball if needed, as witnessed by his 11 of 22 completions for 304 yards and 5 TDs.

*Adam Dankert-Kenesaw - Big night for Dankert in the Blue Devils 54-28 win over Superior. The sophomore jetted for 236 yards on 32 carries and 4 TDs, giving him 450 yards rushing right on the nose (8 TDs) through three games.

*Chase Evans, Quinn Rosno, Jensen Anderson, Braxton Wiles-Hastings St. Cecilia - QB Evans, a converted running back, threw the ball like a seasoned pro in the Bluehawks 56-3 romp over Gibbon. Evans completed 14 of 15 throws for 291 yards/3 TDs, two of which went to State Track Meet standout Jensen Anderson, who caught 5 aerials for a gigantic 186 yards. Quinn Rosno racked up 125 yards on 12 totes with 3 touchdowns and Braxton Wiles made 5 tackles on defense, ALL tackles for losses. Even backup quarterback sophomore Aiden Schieffer, got in on the fun, connecting on 10 of 13 pass attempts for 93 yards.

Keep an eye on the St. Cecilia/Bishop Neumann matchup at Duncan Field in Hastings Friday night. I’ll certainly be there!

*Elliot Beister-Elkhorn High - The 190 junior RB exploded for 243 yards on 28 carries in the Antlers 27-13 win over Omaha Gross. One of Beister’s scoring runs was a sparkling 80 yard jaunt around the right side featuring some sweet blocking by that Antler O-Line.

*Cameron Bothwell-Gretna - Booted the winning Field Goal in the 2nd overtime on a second chance opportunity after an inadvertent whistle stopped the play after Creighton Prep blocked his first attempt. Omaha World-Herald Prep Sports Editor Stu Pospisil did a beautiful job explaining this situation in his ratings column earlier in the week.

Gretna was the 27-24 winner and Bothwell the hero.

*Graiden Ritner-Wilcox-Hildreth- Talented junior ran for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 19 totes in Wil-Hil’s 44-37 victory over Southwest. He also logged 14 tackles in the 6-Man football nailbiter.

*Brayden Kaster-Potter-Dix - Senior quarterback had a big night in the Coyotes 46-22 conquest of Hay Springs. Kaster ran for 214 yards on 17 carries and 3 TDs, completed 8-14 passes for 129 yards and 2 more scores, made 9 tackles on defense plus a pair of interceptions, one of which was a Pick-Six. The Dual-Threat QB now has 440 rushing yards and 265 through the air.

*Isaac Beierman, Lucas Corwin-Nebraska (Waco) Lutheran - Beierman led his team to a historical 38-28 win over Fall City Sacred Heart. The 6-0, 160 pound senior completed 16 of 37 passes for 201 yards/2 TDs and ran for 74 yards on 21 touches with three more touchdowns. Lucas Corwin was a frequent target for Beierman’s passes, as the senior WR grabbed 7 for 108 yards and a touchdown.

*Jaden Williams, Jack Poppe-Doniphan-Trumbull - Hard to believe the Cardinals dropped a 49-40 decision to an always tough Wilber-Clatonia with these stats, but it’s the scoreboard where it counts when the game is over. Nonetheless, Williams had his usual big night through the air, completing 21 of 36 passes for 376 yards and SIX touchdowns. He now has 721 yards with 10 TDs for the young season. Young sophomore Jack Poppe was Williams main target for the game, latching on to 9 passes for a huge 230 yards and FOUR touchdowns. In just three outings, the All-State basketball player has 16 receptions for 384 yards with 6 touchdowns.

*Brady McGill-Omaha Roncalli - All-State Quarterback completed 18 of 28 passes for 245 yards and 3 TDs in the Crimson Prides 43-14 win over Raymond Central. The great Brady McGill has thrown THREE passes in each of his first three games this season. Just another day at the office, right Mr. McGill?

*Dylan Heine to Carson Wieseler-Wynot - A LETHAL pass/catch combination in Wynot’s 33-20 win over powerful Howells-Dodge. QB Dylan Heine connected on 20 of 33 passes for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win. Carson Wieseler was on the receiving end of 12 of Heine’s throws, good for 200 yards and two TDs. Wieseler also carried ONE time that went for a 4 yard touchdown. Heine also made 17 tackles on defense for the Blue Devils.

Check out Dylan Heine’s career stats through 27 games; Passing-378 of 635 (59.5%) for 4,804 yards and 68 TDs, 732 yards rushing with an additional 15 TDs for 5,536 Total Yards.

*Kyler Hellbusch-North Bend Central - Senior sharpshooter completed 22 of 28 passes for 299 yards and FIVE touchdowns in the Tigers 42-20 win over Milford. The Dual-Threat QB also ran the ball 17 times for 11 yards and a TD. Thus far in 2023, Hellbusch has completed 67% of his 63 passes for 697 yards and 9 touchdowns, while rushing for 434 yards on 54 touches (8.0/per) and 6 more scores.

The talented senior has thrown for 2,286 yards and 25 touchdowns during his 25 game career and rushed for another 1,677 yards with 10 scores. North Bend is currently 3-0 with a big road trip to Yutan slated for this Friday.