Med Valley stung in Class D-2 playoff loss at Giltner

GILTNER, Neb. -- Medicine Valley ran into a hornet's nest Tuesday, Nov. 6, in prep football playoff action at Giltner.

The host Hornets ran past the Raiders, 66-22, in a Class D-2 (eight-man) quarterfinal battle matching unbeaten teams.

Med Valley played with starting quarterback Riley Garey, a senior who suffered a knee injury in the Raiders' 64-42 win over Garden County Oct. 31 in the second round of the state playoffs. The Curtis squad never got untracked in Tuesday's contest, and Giltner got a great start with four touchdowns in the opening quarter to build a 30-0 lead.

Med Valley finally got on the board midway through the second period when Lucas Gleisberg caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Chase Barthel. Giltner tacked on three more scores before intermission to take a 50-6 lead into the break.

Ty Contrerez scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, and Barthel hooked up with Gleisberg again for a 2-yard TD pass in the final period for Med Valley's other scores.

Barthel, a sophomore, was thrust into a tough spot as Med Valley's starting quarterback after Garey's injury. Barthel completed 10 of 22 passes for 145 yards and an interception. Gleisberg was the leading receiver for the Raiders with 6 catches for 86 yards. Quinten Chancellor also had 2 receptions for 50 yards.

Giltner's defense limited Med Valley to just 68 rushing yards. Barthel led the Raiders with 56 yards on 24 rushing attempts.

Giltner had a balanced attack, with 224 yards on the ground and 274 through the air. Quarterback Jake Findley completed 23 of 28 passes for 272 yards and five touchdowns.

Ryan Kleier rushed for 163 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns to lead the Giltner ground game.

Medicine Valley ends the season with a 10-1 record. The Raiders also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Class D-2 state playoffs.

Giltner, 11-0, will face Shelton Monday, Nov. 12, in the D-2 playoff semifinals, with the winner advancing to the state championship finals at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln Monday, Nov. 19. Shelton topped Bertrand, 48-26, in quarterfinal action Nov. 6.