- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1962 All-State Teams/Final Rankings. (3/25/24)
- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1961 All-State Teams/Final Rankings (3/22/24)
- Tiny Dancer, play it one more time. (2/22/24)
- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1960 All-State/Final Rankings (2/14/24)
- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1959 All-State/Final Rankings (2/7/24)
- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1958 All-State/Final Rankings (2/6/24)
- A History of Nebraska 8-Man Football - 1957 All-State/Final Rankings (2/5/24)
Aurora Starts Title Defense With a Bang
It took a sum total of about one quarter for All-State Quarterback Tyson Broekemeier and his Huskies teammates to shake the off-season rust and get it cranked up to whip Seward 48-13. It was the season opener for both teams and the Huskies displayed why they won back-to-back Class B titles with a 21 point 3rd quarter explosion.
On a windy but otherwise perfect August evening for high school football, Broekemeier turned an early 3 for 9 passing performance into a defensive nightmare for the Seward line backing and secondary crews. The Aurora All-State QB, who completed an amazing 66% of his passes a year ago, was just 3-9 for 44 yards midway through the 2nd quarter. The bulb must have gone on for Broekemeier because he reeled off TEN straight completions for 193 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a stretch spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters. By the time Tyson Broekemeier turned over the reins to Seth Schnakenburg, the Huskies had a 42-7 lead it was all over but the shouting.
The scoring opened on Aurora's second possession when Broekemeier connected with Sam Shaw on an 8 yard TD strike. Broekemeier kept the drive going with a 3rd down flair pass to RB Austin Smith for a 21 yard gain. The Aurora signal caller then escaped for another 21 yard gain and was aided by a 15 yard personal foul for an out of bounds hit by a couple of overly aggressive Seward defensive backs. Then came the TD pass to Shaw with 3:53 left in the first. In the second quarter, Broekemeier took a step back, then weaved his way 27 yards for another score with 6:43 remaining. Seward answered though when Daniel Buss got behind Josh Danhauer for a 27 yard TD pass from Sam Brauer. The score didn't remain at 14-7 for long because on the ensuing kick-off, Austin Smith fielded it on the one-hop and sprinted 90 yards down the Aurora sideline virtually untouched for the score with 2:48 left in the half.
Tyson Broekemeier got it cranked up immediately in the 3rd quarter by nailing WR Matt Grosshans on a short crossing pattern. The swift, shifty Grosshans then cut back against the grain and weaved his way 48 yards for a pretty score. With just a 1:23 gone in the 3rd, the Huskies were in control. Aurora sped to a 42-7 lead after three quarters and turned it over to the reserves for most of the 4th stanza. Austin Smith, who may very well be a 1000 yard rusher before it's all said and done, added a "Tommy Frazier" type 36 yard highlight reel run in that 3rd and deciding quarter. The Huskies, by the way, had NO fumbles and NO interceptions in this season opener.
The Aurora defense held Seward 1000 yard rusher, Chase Wurdeman to 90 yards on 31 carries, 30 of which came late in the contest. All-State candidate Jacob Shaffer pirated a pass and big Garret Johns and LB Kyle McCarthy were all over the field on defense. Broekemeier was the Huskies leading rusher with 72 yards on only 5 carries. Austin Smith ran 9 times for 61 yards. If Coach Randy Huebert chooses to let Broekemeier run the ball some in 2010, he will certainly have a strong shot at a 1000 yard rushing/1000 yard passing season. Aurora stamped itself as a strong contender to win a 3-Peat in Class B, a feat that has never been accomplished. With Broekemeier at the controls and the excellent coaching staff of Randy Huebert, Gordon Wilson, Scott Jones, Kyle Peterson, and Nate Larson running the show , this could very well be a year to remember.
Aurora will open their home schedule next Friday with West power McCook, who won their season opener 14-7 over Scottsbluff. The Bison, led by football genius Jeff Gross, will be a severe test for the Huskies. Things do not get a whole lot easier for Seward when they travel to a much improved veteran Ralston squad next Friday. Trust me though, before this season winds down, Greg Welch will have his Seward football forces ready to give most teams all they want. If Aurora can zip thorough their next 5 games with rugged McCook, Adams Central, Beatrice, Waverly and the long trip to Gering, they may well be on their way to great things. Somewhere down the road, the Huskies will certainly have to run into Crete before it's all said and done and that one may be a game for the ages. Stay tuned.
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