Week 11 Friday Night Lights High School Football Heroes

This Ord Offense is one of Class C-2's most potent units. Front row (L-R) #32 RB Trent McCain, #12 QB Dylan Hurlburt, both 1000 yard rushers.

*Trent McCain, Dylan Hurlburt, Aidan Ryschon-Ord - The speedy McCain zipped for 158 yards and 3 TDs on 22 carries in Ord’s impressive 47-21 win over offensive juggernaut Mitchell. McCain also flashed some serious foot speed on a sparkling 87 touchdown pass reception from QB Dylan Hurlburt. That gives McCain 1,322 yards rushing with 16 touchdowns on the season.

The great Dylan Hurlburt was nearly perfect through the air, completing 8 of 9 aerials, good for 191 yards and two TDs. Senior Aidan Ryschon was a sparkler on defense, making 8 tackles and an interception.

*Drake Zimmerman, Dane Jacobsen, Bluejay Defense, Paydon Alexander-Ashland-Greenwood - Rugged RB Drake Zimmerman and QB Dane Jacobsen did some serious damage offensively while Austyn Cote and Ty Carey led a stifling defense in Ashland-Greenwood’s dominating 34-6 Class C1 quarterfinal win over Adams Central.

Running like a man possessed, Zimmerman ripped through the A/C defense for 194 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries. Meanwhile, Dane Jacobsen continued his excellence through the air by 15 of 24 aerials for 280 big ones with a pair of scores.

Ty Carey (8 tackles/2 sacks) and Austyn Cote (7 tackles/1 sack) led a suffocating Bluejay defense that limited a fine Adams Central squad to 85 total yards of offense.

Place kicker Paydon Alexander was perfect on the night, hitting 4 of 4 PATs and 2 of 2 field goals.

Here are the season stats for Jacobsen and Zimmerman;

Dane Jacobsen-111-173 for 1,960 yds/23 TDs/4 INTs, Drake Zimmerman-1,775yards rushing-218 carries/28 TDs. Ashland-Greenwood has SEVEN receivers with 100+ receiving yards, led by junior Thomas Spears (435 yards/4 TDs).

*Quinten Archer-Bennington - Senior running back went off for 232 yards on 32 carries and a pair of crucial touchdowns in the Badgers 23-20 win over a strong Norris squad. That elevates Archer’s 2023 rushing total to 1,446 yards with 15 touchdowns entering the Class B semifinal game against Elkhorn North.

*Brady Bousquet-Elkhorn South - Ran for 125 yards and touchdown runs of 1, 2 and 3 yards on 23 carries in the Storm’s exciting 24-19 win over a fine Lincoln East team.

*Morgan Finkenbinder-Omaha Skutt - All-State Soccer Goalie nailed a 33 yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining, lifting Skutt Catholic to a 30-28 victory over Blair.

*Jase Kaminski, Josh Edmunds, Braylon Iverson, Eli Emerson -Wahoo - Quarterback Kaminski hooked up with Edmunds for touchdown passes of 18 and 68 yards in the first half to seize a 12-7 win over pesky Broken Bow. On defense for the Warriors, it was Iverson, who made 17 tackles (10 solos) and Emerson, who registered 23 stops with 11 solos, that led the way for the unbeaten Warriors

*Hunter Luther-Howells-Dodge - The sophomore RB is just like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going and going. In the classic 36-28 win over Mike Spargo’s terrific Dundy County/Stratton squad. Luther carried the ball 41 times for 191 yards and ran for two touchdowns coming from 2 and 17 yards away in the win. The 185 pound youngster now has 1,635 yards with 28 TDs, 727 of them coming in the playoffs (3 games).

*Breckan Schluter-EMF - It appears no defense can stop Breckan Schluter and this incredible Exeter-Milligan-Friend Offensive line. Schluter rambled for 279 yards and FIVE touchdowns on 36 carries in the impressive 44-28 win over highly regarded North Platte St. Patricks.

The EMF star reached the end zone on runs of 16, 5, 38, 35, 34 yards and caught a 26 yard scoring pass. This lifts Schluter’s 2023 rushing total to 2,398 yards (43 TDs) going into the D1 semifinal game at Crofton. His career rushing total is up to 6,796 yards, 7th on the All-Time list and 4th in 8-Man football.

*Bobby Joseph, Brody Peterson-Millard West - Wildcats QB Bobby Joseph continues to come through when his team needs it. Joseph rushed for 151 yards with touchdown runs of 3 and 73 yards on 19 carries in the ‘Cats 31-7 win over Grand Island. Peterson threw for 129 yards and a score and rushed for another in the win.

*Isak Doty, Landon Riddle-Sidney - Red Raider Isak Doty was a shining star in the Red Raiders 41-34 win over perennial powerhouse Pierce. The senior quarterback was a perfect 7 of 7 passing for 177 yards and a pair of scoring strikes to junior Landon Riddle. Doty, who increased his season rushing total to a robust 1,527 yards, scooted for 114 yards and a pair of TDs (54, 20 runs) in this one. Doty also made 10 tackles and made one of three Red Raider interceptions in the quarterfinal tilt.

Landon Riddle led the receiving corps with 4 catches for 147 yards and those two touchdown receptions and also had a 65 yard Pick 6 in the contest.

Incidentally, Isak Doty LEADS the state in Total Yards (11-Man) with 2,983 yards (1,527 rushing/1,457 passing) and can FLY. Doty was 4th in the 100 meter dash last year at the State Track Championships (:10.87), 4th in the 200 (:22.27), 7th in the 400 (:50,65) and anchored Sidney’s 400 Meter Relay to a 5th place (:42.97). Oh yeah, did I tell you he also averaged 11 points per game for Sidney’s C1 State Tournament qualifying basketball team a year ago?

Isak Doty is one of the finest athletes in the entire state of Nebraska.

*Kyle Cox, Zeb Wilde, Rhett McFadden-Sandhills-Thedford - Knights quarterback Kyle Cox continued his torrid pace on the gridiron in Sandhills-Thedford’s big 60-28 win over top seeded Johnson-Brock. Cox carried the ball a staggering 37 times for 241 yards with 3 touchdowns. Kyle also completed 6 of 9 passes for 131 additional yards with another TD.

The ferocious Rhett McFadden made 13 tackles and had an interception, while Zeb Wilde added half a dozen stops, a pair of sacks and a Pick 6 in the win.

Check out these mind-boggling season stats for Kyle Cox; Rushing-2,232 yards-241 carries/46 TDs. Passing-56 of 92 for 883 yards/11 TDs/2 Picks. Receiving-4 catches for 188 yards/4 TDs. Defense-85 tackles (54 solos/31 assists/5 INTs/1 FR.

More difficult to believe are Cox’s rushing stats the past FOUR games: 1,054 yards/21 Touchdowns. Astounding!

*Ethan Shaw, Connor Rempe, Alston Clark, Kaeden Schmidt-Sandy Creek - All four of these Cougars were simply sensational in Sandy Creek’s 44-24 win over previously undefeated Cross County. Fabulous junior QB Ethan Shaw completed 9 of 19 passes for 189 yards and 3 TDs, rushed 16 times for 101 yards with two more scores and made 6 stops defensively. The slippery, speedy Rempe caught 7 of Shaw’s 9 pass completions for a fat 168 yards and all 3 receiving TDs. Rempe was also a menace on defense with 14 tackles.

You want to talk about a YOUNG football team, both Alston Clark and Kaeden Schmidt are sophomores and were studs on defense in this Cross County win, which was not as close as the final score indicated. Clark came up with 15 tackles, Schmidt was close behind with 13. Clark has a massive 126 tackles (75 solos) for the season to date, while Schmidt has made 85 stops with 51 solos.

This is a SCARY football team who could be pre-season #1 when 2024 rolls around.

*Anthony Rezac, Jahmez Ross, Brody Goc, Beau Ryan-Omaha Westside - All four, plus many others stood out in the Warriors dominating 49-0 win over Bellevue West. Anthony Rezac completed 15 of 20 passes for 190 yards and two TDs. He also rushed 10 times for 49 yards with two more scores. Ross ran for 96 yards on 18 totes with a touchdown. Brody Goc followed with 86 yards on just 4 carries and two TDs.

One defense, the great Beau Ryan made 10 tackles with 8 solos and a sack. Teddy Rezac added an interception to complete the rout.

*Trey Connell-South Loup - Talk about carrying your team on your back in crunch time, that’s exactly what Trey Connell did in South Loup’s last minute 28-22 win over powerhouse Central Valley. Connell bolted into the endzone with 18 seconds left ( I think) giving the Bobcats the quarterfinal “W”. Connell ended the contest with 152 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 37 carries. He also hit 8 of 12 throws for 91 yards to keep the Cougars honest and added 10 tackles on defense.

Trey now has 1,462 yards rushing with 37 touchdowns and 545 passing yards (8 TDs), and 62 stops on defense.

*Wyatt Tramp-Crofton - Junior RB exploded for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries in Crofton’s 64-22 win over Elkhorn Valley. That is Tramp's second straight 200+ rushing game, giving him 1,311 yards for the season.

*Gage Mintken-Hay Springs - Led the Hawks in their shocking 58-49 upset win over Arthur County, who had embarrassed Hay Springs earlier in the season, 80-7.

Mintken, who was playing in just his 7th game this season, rambled for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns on 27 totes. He also completed 3 of 4 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown, made 12 tackles and picked off a pass playing defense.

Teammate Dylan Young made 10 stops and had a pair of INTs in the win.

*Parker Borer, James Fogleman, Cardinals Defense-Boone Central - Cardinal's standout running back Parker Borer made it look easy in Boone Central’s 56-7 win over Auburn. Borer carried only 12 times in the rout, but escaped for 174 yards and three TDs. QB James Fogleman hit 8 of 12 passes for 110 yards and scoring tosses of 1 yard to Jaxon Lipker and 33 yards to Brant Benes.

The Cardinals defense was suffocating, holding the Bulldogs to just 84 yards of total offense.

*Dylan Heine, Carson Wieseler, Joseph Sudbeck-Wynot - Quarterback Dylan Heine was red hot through the air in the Blue Devils 34-12 win over perennial powerhouse Humphrey St. Francis. Heine connected on 21 of 25 throws for 217 yards and a pair of TDs. Fourteen of those completions went to Wieseler, who accumulated 120 yards with a TD. Joseph Sudbeck also caught a scoring pass from Heine, part of his 8 receptions for 94 yards.