Week Five Friday Night Lights Football Heroes - 8-Man, 6-Man.

Lawrence-Nelson junior QB was a driving force in the Raiders`42-30 win over Deshler.

*Jace Schukar, Cauy Meyer-Loomis - Jet-Propelled Jace Schukar raced for 301 yards and 5 touchdowns on 31 carries in the Wolves 66-38 victory over Cambridge. Schukar also used his jet shoes to take a 77 yard kickoff to the house in the game. Cauy Meyer was the leader on defense registering 18 tackles and a recovered fumble.

*Tyson Jackson-Crofton - 5-11, 210 lb junior raced for 143 yards and four touchdowns in Crofton's big 52-30 win over Hartington-Newcastle. Jackson's big night lifted him over the 1000 yard rushing plateau for the season. He is now at 1,004 yards.

*Gage Hedstrom, Ben Barlow, Lane Bybee, Drake Berg-O’Neill St. Marys - Gage Hedstrom, the epitome of athletic brilliance, completed 17 of 24 passes for 319 yards and a whopping 7 touchdowns in St. Mary's 78-35 victory over Ainsworth. Hedstrom also gained 64 yards on 8 carries on the ground, which included a TD, made 9 tackles and recorded a 48 yard Pick 6 defensively. Wide receiver Ben Barlow is back on track, catching 6 balls for 126 yards and 3 TDs. Right up there with Barlow was Lane Bybee’s 6 catches for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Drake Berg, who gets his athleticism from his talented mother, also had a touchdown catch and recorded five tackles in the game.

*Wyatt Crosley, Tucker Matthies-Clarkson-Leigh - Wyatt Crosley and Tucker Matthies were quite the 1-2 punch in Clarkson-Leigh's 54-24 victory over Madison. Crosley carried 9 times for 168 yards with 4 TDs (52, 11, 27 and 8 runs). Matthies meanwhile rushed for 139 yards on 11 carries with a 59 yard scoring run.

*Ben Schmitz, Barrett Koenig-Boyd County - Sophomore Ben Schmitz rolled for 142 yards on 19 carries with touchdown runs of 19 and 9 yards, while senior Barrett Koenig added 129 yards on 13 totes with scoring runs of 26 and 45 yards in Boyd County's 28-25 victory over Niobrara- Verdigre.

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**Here is a little background on these next two school’s Friday Night Lights Heroes. Both Nebraska Lutheran and Giltner have struggled mightily this season, with Nebr. Lutheran absorbing losses of 74-28 (East Butler), 62-0 (Fullerton), 70-0 (Weeping Water) and 69-6 (High Plains. Giltner has been beaten up by Twin River 74-20, Weeping Water 88-20, Blue Hill 82-6 and Deshler 80-0. But for one glorious Friday Night, both offenses exploded and put up video game numbers worth of mentions on Friday Night Lights Heroes. Nice offensive work fellas.**

*Carson Malchow, Weston Koontz-Nebraska Lutheran - Sophomore QB Carson Malchow completed 18 of 33 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 31 times for another 262 yards and six touchdowns for 516 total yards in the Knights 70-68 loss to Giltner. He also had 12 tackles on defense. Last year's QB Weston Koontz, now a junior WR, caught 8 passes for 168 yards with 2 receiving TDs and made 16 tackles on defense.

*Brody Rudy-Giltner - Junior QB completed 16 and 28 passes for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed 18 times for 218 yards and six more touchdowns for a total of 437 total yards in the Hornets 70-68 win over Nebraska Lutheran. On defense, Rudy registered 9 tackles, two of which were sacks.

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*Kam Sealey-Sandy Creek - Sensational sophomore QB was 14 of 19 for 167 yards and 3 TDs and ran 10 times for 138 yards and 3 more TDs in Sandy Creek's 45-22 victory over a good Thayer Central team. For the season, Sealey has 546 yards rushing with 11 touchdowns and has completed 64 of 93 passes for 973 yards with 13 touchdowns.

*Wyatt Frey, Jackson Williams, Cooper Heikkinen, Kolten Menke-Lawrence-Nelson - Raiders star QB Wyatt Frey rambled for 254 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in Lawrence-Nelson’s 42-30 win over super coach Hayden DeLano’s fine Deshler squad. Junior RB Jackson Williams added 76 ground yards and three TDs on a dozen totes. Sophomore defensive standout Cooper Heikkinen made 16 bruising tackles in the game while classmate Kolton Menke registered 15 stops. Wyatt Frey added 14 tackles for this YOUNG Raiders team that will be talking serious State Championship conversation in 2026.

*Mac Carlson-Wausa-Osmond - Vikings QB rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, completed 9 of 16 passes for 97 yards and three more scores and made 20 tackles on defense in Wausa-Osmond's big 36-22 victory over a powerhouse Bloomfield squad.

*Tyce Calleroz, Joseph Ducker, Ryan Kaslon-Arcadia/Loup City - Arcadia/Loup City’s version of The Three Horsemen combined for 439 yards rushing in the Rebels 50-45 victory over Pleasanton. Calleroz ran for a whopping 230 yards on 22 carries with 4 TDs. Tyce was backed up efficiently by Joseph Ducker, who ran for 103 yards on 9 carries and 3 touchdowns. Ryan Kaslon added 106 yards on 13 carries in the win. For the season, Tyce Calleroz has 545 yards and seven touchdowns. Joseph Ducker is not far behind with 489 yards and 10 touchdowns and not far behind him is Ryan Kaslon with 401 yards and five touchdowns.

I LOVE it. Who was it that said “Run the dang ball!”

*Brock Jeannoutot-Bloomfield - Bee’s Super-Back rolled for 166 yards and a pair of TDs on 28 carries in Bloomfield's 36-22 loss to Wausa-Osmond. Jeannoutot also recorded 8 tackles, all solos in the loss. A 1000 yard rusher a year ago, Brock Jeannoutot is almost there this season, having gained 957 yards with 11 touchdowns thus far in 2025.

*Cooper Hinrichs, Griffin Bergen-Sutton - Junior Cooper Hinrichs, who is rapidly closing in on a 1000 yard rushing season, sprinted for 204 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries in the Mustangs 34-26 win over EMF. Classmate Griffin Bergen gained 114 yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns in the hard fought win. Hinrichs, who has scored 16 touchdowns this season, is just 68 yards away from the coveted 1000 yard rushing mark.

*Jesse Reyes-Maxwell - Bolted for 219 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries in Maxwell's 52-28 loss to Sandhills-Thedford. The hard running Reyes has 883 yards with 19 touchdowns to date, having been held under 100 yards rushing just once, that being a 99 yard effort against Hitchcock County. You're excused Jesse.

*Maurice Robinson, Carter Anderson-Sandhills-Thedford - Senior Maurice Robinson was a shining star in that Sandhills-Thedford 52-28 win over Maxwell. Robinson blasted his way for 272 yards and 5 TDs on 21 carries while making 10 tackles on defense. Sophomore Carter Anderson added 106 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and returned a punt 35 yards for an additional score. Anderson was also a menace on defense, recording 16 stops.

*Carson McDonald-McCool Junction - McDonald, one of Nebraska's finest small school athletes, ripped Mead for 268 yards and 4 TDs on 26 carries in McCool's 52-36 win over the Raiders.

*Luke Shoemaker-Central Valley - 163 yards with 3 TDs on 13 carries and 17 tackles in Central Valley's 46-0 win over Burwell…..and he’s just a junior.

*Braxton Peterson-Deshler - Rushed 17 times for a whopping 182 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-30 loss to a great Lawrence-Nelson team.

*Hunter Luther-Howells-Dodge - When you only get 6 carries in the game, you make the most of it, right Hunter? In a 44-20 win over Fullerton, the Jaguars star RB gained 163 yards and scored four times on runs covering 57, 69, 16 and 57 yards, all coming in the first half.

*Brennan Lindner, Sam Smith-Pleasanton - Rifle armed QB Brennan Lindner completed 23 of 42 passes for 304 yards and 4 TDs in Pleasanton's 50-45 loss to Arcadia-Loup City. His favorite target was Sam Smith, who caught 10 balls for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

*Kreyton Wiese-Wauneta-Palisade - The burly 205 lb junior bolted for 131 yards and FIVE TDs on 17 carries in Wauneta-Palisade's 66-20 win over Paxton. Wiese also had a 19 yard touchdown reception and made four tackles in a game that saw Paxton leading 13-12 after the first quarter.

*Cooper Arehart, Trevan Torres-Neligh-Oakdale - Outstanding sophomore Dual-Threat QB Cooper Arehart completed 10 of 18 passes for 201 yards with a pair of touchdowns, rushed 17 times for 143 yards and 5 more TDs and made three tackles on defense in the Warriors 54-28 victory over North Central. That gives Cooper 654 passing yards with 8 TDs and 582 yards on the ground with 17 scores thus far this season. Arehart's favorite target for the game was Trevan Torres, who grabbed 7 passes for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns plus making 9 tackles on defense. And Torres? He’s a Freshman!

*Eli Luther-Overton - 14 of 19 through the air for 188 yards and four touchdowns, 42 yards rushing and 19 tackles in the Eagles 49-6 win over Maywood-Hayes Center.

*Cinch Sanger-Brady - 168 yards and three TDs on 13 carries, 9 of 14 for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air, plus eight tackles in the Eagles 40 to 8 win over Bayard.

*Carter Kruse, Jahiem Hamik, Asher Uttecht-Winside - The Wildcats “Kruse-Missile” took off for 198 yards and three TDs on 12 carries in Winside’s 72-40 win over Walthill. Sophomore Jahiem Hamik returned a kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown and Asher Uttecht had a 15 yard Pick 6 in the win.

*Trenton Wedemeyer, Jack Kucera-Ravenna - Junior QB Trenton Wedemeyer took to the air a little bit in Ravenna's 68-42 win over Sandhills Valley. Wedemeyer completed six of eight passes for 169 yards and four touchdowns while hooking up with sophomore Jack Kucera twice for 101 yards and TD catches of 77 and 24 yards.

*Tripp Buettner-Hay Springs - Six Man football standout ran for 224 yards and FIVE TDs on 19 touches, had an interception and made 8 tackles in Hay Springs 75-38 win over Sioux County.

*Jaxon Wegner, Jaden Browing, Braylon Wegner, Spencer Cooney-Bancroft-Rosalie - Sophomore RB Jaxon Wegner, who had just 182 yards rushing coming in, blew up the statsheet by exploding for 321 yards on 29 carries with 4 TDs in Bancroft-Rosalie's 82-42 win over Randolph. Jaxon’s classmate, QB Jason Browning hit 10 of 20 throws for 196 yards and FIVE TDs. Browning's favorite target had to be Braylon Wegner, who caught six passes for 143 yards and 3 TDs, Senior Spencer Cooney led the defense with 12 tackles (8 solos, 5 TFL).