McCook runs past Ogallala in state football playoffs

OGALLALA -- McCook's football team exercised their option to avenge an overtime loss to Ogallala with a dominating win last Saturday in the Class B state high school football playoffs.

Quarterback Chad Stull led the Bison offense, and McCook defense kept Ogallala out of the end zone in a 13-2 victory in the first round of the Class B playoffs.

The playoff contest was originally scheduled for Friday night. But heavy snow in the Ogallala area forced school officials to postpone the game one day,and postponed McCook's shot at revenge. Ogallala had defeated McCook 13-7 in overtime in the regular-season finale for both teams Friday, Oct. 23 at Weiland Field.

"Like Coach said, you don't get to do a lot of wrongs over, but this week we did and we took advantage of it," said Mccook senior fullback Deon Allen.

The weather was ideal Saturday, with sunny skies and temperatures near 60 degrees. Ogallala officials pushed a foot of snow off the field, and the Indians turf was a soggy, muddy mess.

The mud bog didn't slow the McCook rushing attack. The Bison ran for 248 yards on 48 attempts. Stull keyed a potent Bison option attack. The senior signal caller totaled 135 rushing yards on 22 carries.

McCook senior guard/linebacker A.J. Huffman said he enjoyed playing in the mud Saturday.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was a blast," Huffman said. "It was hard for both teams to get traction in the middle of the field. But it worked out to be good for us. We can play in any type of weather, no matter what."

Ogallala was held to just 38 plays from scrimmage. The Indians picked up 128 yards through the air, but the Bison defense put the clamps on the normally strong Ogallala rushing attack. The Indians gained just 43 yards on 23 carries. Ogallala running back Derek Blessing, the leading rusher in the state's Class B ranks, was averaging nearly 150 yards per game. But McCook held Blessing to just 39 yards on 23 attempts, according to the Gazette's unofficial totals.

McCook held Ogallala on downs on the first possession of the game and forced a punt. On McCook's third play from scrimmage, Stull snuck around the right side and ran untouched 49 yards for a touchdown. Shane Wallen's conversion kick gave the Bison a 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the game.

"We came out shooting on all cylinders right away and really played well offensively on that first series, and popping Chad for that first one was big to get the lead," said McCook head coach Jeff Gross.

Ogallala drove deep into McCook territory early in the second quarter. The Bison stopped quarterback Trent Neill for consecutive losses, then Jesse Barnes missed a 30-yard field goal for the Indians.

On Ogallala's next possession, the Bison held again and forced a punt. Casey Woken handled a high snap and blasted a 60-yard kick that was downed at the Bison 1-yard line. Fullback Deon Allen was ruled stopped in the end zone -- after it appeared he had stretched the ball across the goal -- for a safety to pull the hosts within 7-2 with just over four minutes left in the first half.

McCook ran out the clock to take the five-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bison opened the third quarter with a 57-yard scoring drive that took 11 plays and over six minutes. Stull ran 1 yard for the touchdown, and the PAT run was stopped short as the Bison led 13-2.

Ogallala used a 42-yard pass from Neill to Andy Faesser to move the ball to the McCook 22. But the Indians could not gain a yard and gave the ball back to the Bison as Stull tipped the pass away from Ogallala receiver Gatlin Moul for an incomplete pass on fourth down.

The Bison then went on a 13-play drive that ate up yardage and clock. The march featured a steady diet of Stull keeping on the option mixed with runs by fullback Deon Allen and tailback Andy Smith. McCook drove to the Ogallala 30 to start the fourth quarter before two straight incomplete passes ended the threat.

"The second quarter kind of got away from us," Coach Gross said. "The third and fourth quarter though, we came out and we dominated the line of scrimmage. We found our holes. We were running the option to perfection. In order to run the option, you've got to be able to down block and get quick reads from the quarterback."

Stull completed just two of six passes in Saturday's game, both going to senior wide receiver Mark Nichols for 28 total yards. Coach Gross said Ogallala was daring the Bison to throw the ball, but the McCook coach said he talked himself out of that and instead kept the ball on the ground.

"They were daring us to pass the ball. With a lot of guys we've had in the past, I probably would have," Gross said. "But this team, we were feeling success, staying on schedule. 'Don't mess it up, Jeff, don't mess it up,' I kept saying, 'Throw that ball, it's wide open, don't mess it up, don't mess it up. Ultimately, I felt good about the way we did run the football. We played great defense. But one of the best things we did was our offense kept (Ogallala's) offense off the field. We didn't give them a lot of shots on goal throughout the game."

The hosts used several big pass plays to mount a final threat in the final period.

Quarterback Neill completed four straight passes to move the ball to the McCook 9. On second down, Neill found a hole and headed for the goal line. Andy Smith came up from his defensive back spot and blasted Neill a yard short of the end zone. The Ogallala quarterback had to leave the game for a play after the hit. Garrett Folchert replaced Neill, and Folchert lost the ball on a quarterback sneak. The pigskin squirted out of the pile, and Stull fell on it to help seal Ogallala's fate with just over five minutes remaining.

The Bison picked up four first downs and moved the ball to the Ogallala 43 before the clock ran out.

Fullback Deon Allen said the McCook offensive line was a key to the Bison win Saturday.

"They really stepped it up this game," Allen said. "It was pretty awesome to see those holes open up."

Huffman thinks the Bison offensive line and the whole team is ready for a playoff push.

"I think we're finally getting it together as a team, as a whole, and everything's just coming together," he said.

McCook earned another shot at redemption, but Friday's playoff quarterfinal will be a stern test for the Bison. McCook, 7-3, advances in the Class B playoffs, with undefeated and top-ranked Aurora coming to town. The Huskies ran past Alliance 54-18 in first-round playoff action Saturday.

Aurora beat McCook 48-10 in a Sept. 11 meeting at Weiland Field.

Coach Gross noted that his team is still alive in the playoffs, and he wants the Bison to have fun this week in preparing to meet the tough Huskies again.

"We need to come in this week, keep things simple, keep it the way we've been playing the last six, seven weeks of the season, not make a lot of changes," Gross said. "How we gotta do this when they do this, and when they do this we do this -- no. Let's do what we do well -- let's line up and see if it's good enough. And I want the kids to have a ball with this this week. I'm going to do everything I can to make practice fun and to make this week an enjoyable experience. And if we keep it all in perspective, we'll stand a chance."

Ogallala ends the season with a 7-3 record.

McCook 7 0 6 0 -- 13

Ogallala 0 2 0 0 -- 2

MC -- Chad Stull 49 run (Shane Wallen kick).

OGA -- Safety, Ogallala tackled McCook in end zone.

MC -- Stull 1 run (run failed).

McCook statistics

Rushing -- Chad Stull 22-135, Andy Smith 14-69, Deon Allen 12-44.

Passing -- Chad Stull 2-6-0 28 yards.

Receiving -- Mark Nichols 2-28.