Area teams advance to playoffs

Grant Strunk/McCook Daily Gazette Cambridge defensive back Delvin Jackson (26) uses a block from Cole Taylor (40) after picking off an Elm Creek Dalton Meier pass and returned it 14 yards to set up Cambridge's first and only score of the game. [Click to enlarge]

CAMBRIDGE -- The Cambridge High School Trojans jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter but gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter, to lose to Elm Creek 28-6 Friday.

Cambridge defensive back Delvin Jackson picked off a Dalton Meier pass and returned the ball 14 yards to the 48 yard line to set up Cambridge's only touchdown.

Trojan quarterback Hayden Ekberg hit fullback Gus Petersen four plays later with a 9-yard touchdown pass with 5:31 left in the first quarter.

Brad Welch/Frontier County Enterprise Medicine Valley defensive back Martin Warneke (20) breaks up a Wauneta-Palisade pass intended for Adam Simpson (40) Friday in Curtis. [Click to enlarge]

Elm Creek rolled up 225 yards total offense, holding Cambridge to 142 yards.

Elm Creek running back Derek Foster led the Buffaloes with 114 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown. Mike Reeves scored two touchdowns, picking up 93 yards on 22 carries.

Petersen carried the ball 14 times for 65 yards. He was a head hunter on defense with 13 solo tackles and 3 assists.

Catlin Rice and Justin Hamel were both in on 11 tackles each.

Cambridge (5-3) will be the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Chase County (6-2) Thursday in the opening round for the NSAA Class C2 playoffs, times to be announced.

Cambridge -- Petersen 9 pass from Ekberg (run failed)

Elm Creek -- Reeves 1 run (kick failed)

Elm Creek -- Reeves 36 run (Meyer pass)

Elm Creek -- Derek Foster 2 run (Mitchell, kick)

Elm Creek -- Lange 26 fumble return (Mitchell kick)

Medicine Valley 56

Wauneta-Palisade 20

CURTIS -- Medicine Valley Raider running back Nick Romeo scored five touchdowns and racked up 262 yards on 23 carries to lead the Raiders over Wauneta-Palisade 56-20 Friday.

Justin Romeo carried the ball nine times for 90 yards.

Martin Warneke led the Raider defense with 13 solo tackles and 3 assists.

Adam Simpson led the Broncos with 12 rushes for 45 yards and three touchdowns.

Simpson had 8 catches for 115 yards.

Bronco quarterback Myles West was 12 of 32 for 157 yards.

Reese West hit 3 of 9 for 70 yards.

MV -- Nick Romeo 37 run

MV -- Nick Romeo 11 run (Justin Romeo pass from Wells)

MV -- Nick Romeo 30 run (Nick Romeo run)

WP -- Simpson 1 run (PAT failed)

MV -- Nick Romeo 52 run (Justin Romeo run)

MV -- Deatrich 2 pass from Wells

WP -- Simpson 10 run (PAT failed)

MV -- Justin Romeo 56 run

MV -- Nick Romeo 40 run (Johnsen kick)

WP -- Simpson 6 run (Fischer run)

MV -- Hildebrandt 44 run (Johnsen kick)

Eustis-Farnam 6,

Elwood 2

FARNAM -- Soggy field conditions and solid defense led to a Eustis-Farnam 6-2 victory over Elwood Thursday.

"Our defense played outstanding the entire night and won the football game for us," said E-F Knight coach Brad Dunlap.

"Both of our offenses struggled with the field conditions, but we were able to run some time off the clock our last drive and following a good punt, forced Elwood to try and drive the length of the field with very little time on the clock.

"This was a big win for us. We haven't beaten Elwood since 2003.

"Hopefully we can carry a little momentum into the playoff next week."

Eustis-Farnam finished the game with 158 yards total offense, 93 passing and 65 rushing.

Elwood had 146 yards offense, 64 rushing and 82 passing.

Knight quarterback Drew Wetovick scored the only touchdown of the game with a 1-yard run in the second half.

Elwood pinned the Knights in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter.

Wetovick completed 6 of 14 passes for 49 yards.

Djorn Dunlap was 3 of 5 for 44 yards.

Carson Bellamy led the Knight defense with five solo tackles and eight assists.

Wetovick was in on 12 tackles, two solo and 10 assists.

Jacob Widick had a quarterback sack and was in on 11 tackles.

Class D1 No. 10 seed Eustis-Farnam (6-2) will travel to Bladen to take on No. 7 seed Silver Lake (7-1) the first round of the playoffs Thursday at 4 p.m.

E-F -- Wetovick 2 run (PAT failed)

Elwood -- Safety

Rawlins County 52,

Syracuse 16

ATWOOD -- Rawlins County running back Jayce Cook rushed 15 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Buffs over Syracuse 52-14 Friday.

Cook scored on runs of 9, 13, 31 and 34 yards.

Quarterback Kevin Wolters was 6 of 11 passing for 90 yards.

Tyler Martin was in on 9 tackles to lead the Buff defense.

Rawlins County will host St. Francis Thursday, the final game of the season.

RCHS -- Remley 1 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Cook 34 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Cook 31 run (PAT)

Syracuse -- Weilert 29 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Cook 9 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Bergling 6 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Cook 13 run (PAT)

RCHS -- Portschy 25 run (PAT)

Syracuse -- Brown 3 pass from Housholder (conversion failed)

Arapahoe 48,

Amherst 14

AMHERST -- The Arapahoe Warriors shut out Amherst in the second half for a 48-14 win Thursday.

Arapahoe running back Dustin Park carried the ball 33 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Warriors.

Park also caught a 63-yard pass from quarterback Garth Walbridge for another score.

Park scored on runs of 2, 18 and 33 yards.

Walbridge completed 6 of 9 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

Derek Helms was in on nine tackles to lead the Warrior defense.

Walbridge had seven assists and one solo tackle.

No. 6 seed Arapahoe (5-3) will host No. 11 seed Amherst (5-3) Thursday in Class D1 action Thursday at 7 p.m.

Arapahoe -- TJ Eichenberger 9 pass from Walbridge (Walbridge pass to Thomas)

Arapahoe -- Park 63 pass from Walbridge (Park run)

Amherst -- Kenney 22 run (Kenney run)

Arapahoe -- Eichenberger 22 pass from Walbridge (run failed)

Amherst -- Kenney 25 pass from Martin (Kenney run)

Arapahoe -- Park 18 run (Park run)

Arapahoe -- Park 2 yard run (pass failed)

Arapahoe -- Park 33 run (run failed)

Arapahoe -- Schutz 3 (run failed)

Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 36,

Maywood 0

MAYWOOD -- Sumner-Eddyville-Miller shut out Maywood 36-0 Friday in the season finale.

Brandon Arent rushed 22 times for 63 yards for Maywood.

Jordan Walther led the Maywood defense with 10 tackles.

SEM -- Smith 2 pass from Line (Line run)

SEM -- Line 1 run (PAT failed)

SEM -- Rohde 4 run (PAT failed)

SEM -- Rohde run (Line pass to Smith)

SEM -- English 24 pass from Line (Line pass to Ibach)

Hayes Center 77,

Potter-Dix 6

POTTER -- Hayes Center running back Keifer Messersmith blistered Potter-Dix for 224 yards and four touchdowns Friday.

Messersmith accounted for 224 yards of the 279 yards the Cards picked up on the ground.

The Cardinals had 358 total yards offense and held Potter-Dix to 170 yards.

"I felt our team executed very well against a Potter-Dix team that threw a ton of things out at us that we never played against this season," said Cardinal coach Scott Jorgensen.

"We did a great job of playing our roles in all phases of the game.

"Wrapping up the district championship tonight is another special victory that this team will remember.

"We are now focusing on our new task at hand of advancing in the playoffs; however, we must take it one step at a time."

Tyler Rehbein threw for 63 yards with two touchdowns, connecting on 4 of 6 passes.

Tanner Dow rushed 10 times for 43 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyler Clifford was a work horse on the field for the Cards, catching two passes for 30 yards and a TD. He was 1-for-1 passing for 30 yards.

Clifford also led the Cards with 10 tackles and one interception.

No. 1 seed Hayes Center (7-1) will host No. 16 seed Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (4-4) Thursday in Hayes Center for the D2 opening round playoffs, times TBA.

Southwest vs. Blue Hill

No. 15 seed Southwest Roughriders (3-5) will travel to No. 2 seed Blue Hill (8-0) Thursday for C2 playoffs times TBA.