Quarterfinal/Semifinal Playoff Friday Night Prep Football Heroes - Part I

Super Coach Joey Imus and his 2015 State 6-Man Champion Riverside Chargers. Simply untouchable.

Quarterfinal/Semifinal Playoff Friday Night Prep Football Heroes - Part I

by Bobby Mills (1000 Yard Guy)

As I write this tribute to our playoff heroes, all the championship finals have been set except the 8-Man classes. Those 4 semifinal games will be play on this very day, filling all the final matchup slots upon completion. The 6-Man Championship was played Friday night at UNK's fine facility in Kearney with Riverside besting St. Edward 74-18.

Congratulations to Joey Imus and his Chargers for nabbing a 2nd consecutive State 6-Man football title and very high props to St. Edward for making it to finals and turning the 2014 season into a 2015 championship appearance.

Let's include the 6-Man semifinals and finals in our salute today.

*Joey Imus and The Riverside Chargers - Coach Imus and his Riverside Chargers won their 2nd straight 6-Man State Championship last Friday. The even more astonishing thing is that Riverside High School, a combination of players from Spalding High and Cedar Rapids high schools, has only been in existence for 2 years. And Joey Imus, the former all-around Mister Everything athlete from Boone Central, has coached this football team to 21 wins and only 1 loss in those two seasons. The Chargers only loss, a regular season loss to a Spalding Academy team a year ago, a squad that Spalding High had joined forces with the year before (2013) for sports. Not only that, but Joey Imus was Spalding Academy's assistant football coach in 2013 to head man, Troy Kleffner.

Well, in 2014, Riverside's first year in existence, Coach Imus would avenge that regular season loss to Spalding Academy (54-8) in the 6-Man Championship game with a 22-14 shocker. But for those who know Joe Imus, it may not have been the shock everyone thought.

The man is just that good. This season, Riverside swept through the season like a raging plains tornado, winning 11 games by an average of margin of 67-15. In 2014, the Chargers averaged 55 point a contest while giving up 32. The improvement from 2014 to the current season was noticeable. No opponent came within 40 points of this Riverside team. The Chargers were simply untouchable.

*Kyle Wemhoff- Humphrey St. Francis - Toted the football 48 times for 237 yards in a quarterfinal victory over a fine Falls City Sacred Heart team. Wemhoff, who is listed at 160 pounds, ran behind an incredibly strong blocking offensive line, but the senior displayed amazing power and strength for his size, just slithering and sliding through the tiniest of creases to pile up the yards. His vision is really top notch.

The thing that took my breath away was the fact his breath never seemed to shorten through all of his 48 carries. Wemhoff would simply get up after being gang tackled, go back to the huddle and line up for the next play. His stomach never moved much to indicate heavy breathing. I doubt if Kyle even knew how many carries he had. The kid just played the part of the Energizing Bunny and continued.

Wemhoff is certainly one of the best 8-Man backs I've seen this season. The Flyers travel up to Wynot today to meet the Blue Devils in a 5:30 semifinal clash. The winner advances to Lincoln.

*Jake Matthew, Andrew Wine, Aaron Gerdes, Adrian Kellogg, Ethan Morrison- Millard North - Should have listed the entire Mustang offense for fighting back to win what had to be the game of the year against Bellevue West. As for Morrison, Kellogg, and Gerdes? Those three, plus Head Coach Fred Petito and his offensive coordinator Ty Cotten, were involved in what had to be the Crunch Time Play-of-the Year.

Playing in the first overtime period, Bellevue West quarterback Jaydn Kowalski had just thrown his 11-Man record, 46th touchdown completion, this one to Christian Finn, to send the Thunderbirds ahead 34-27.

Then it was Millard North's turn. FB Jake Matthew carried twice, and then Andrew Wine, advancing it to the T-Bird 2 yard line. Wine then took the pitch from Morrison and swept around his left side for the score.

The came the play of the year. Petito and Cotten decided it was time to dust off a play that hadn't been called in half a decade and go for a Tom Osborne Orange Bowl make it-or break it, 2 point conversion play.

The "Rocket toss" reverse play was set into motion when QB Ethan Morrison took the pitch and flipped it to Kellogg, who had been on a wing left. Kellogg swept to the right behind Morrison and the single running back. Immediately after taking the pitch, Adrian Kellogg hands the ball off to Aaron Gerdes, who is sweeping back to the left.

Gerdes gets the ball at the 8, retreats back to the 10 to juke a Bellevue West defender, then sprints to the end zone with the help of a key block. Ball Game!

And Jake Matthew's much needed contribution to the game? 117 big ground yards on 21 carries. The return of Big Jake following a lingering injury is just what Doctor Petito ordered. The Mustangs advance to the Class A final Tuesday, November 24th at 6:45 to meet rival Millard West.

*Jadyn Kowalski- Bellevue West - What can you say? The pinpoint accurate, gunslinger capped off a record breaking career with a 20 of 32 for 196 yard passing performance in that 35-34 overtime loss to Millard North. His 3rd touchdown of the late afternoon game was his 46th of the season, a new 11-Man state record.

For the season, the senior QB completed 175 of 258 passes for 3,146 yards and 46 TDs with only 5 interceptions. That's an amazing 67.8% completion rate and 18 yards a pop.

And his career....376 of 599 passes for 6,226 yards, 83 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, a completion rate of 63%, 16.6 yards a pop and 194 yard passing per game average.

At 6-4, 210 pounds, is somebody out there looking? What a career.

*Andy Kerkman- Clearwater-Orchard - Big Andy. Two time All-State basketball player that just happens to know how to play football too. The 6-8, 245 pound Kerkman looked like a beast in the Cyclones 42-28 quarterfinal win over Elgin Public/Pope John. Kerkman caught 6 passes for 118 yards and 2 touchdown receptions of 25 and 57 yards. On the 57 yard scoring reception, Kirkman merely pushed to defenders to the ground with his stiff arm without breaking stride. Consider how it must feel to guard this kid in the paint without pads in basketball.

Andy also made 15 tackles, 1.5 for losses and kicked off 6 times, booting 4 into the Wolfpack end zone for touchbacks.

For the season, Kirkman has 53 receptions for 863 yards and 11 TDs. On defense, number 87 has recorded 131 tackles, 18 for losses, and a staggering 23 sacks totalling a minus 110 yards.

The 235 pound senior has also caused 9 fumbles, recovered 6 of them, returning one 12 yards for a score against Niobrara-Verdigre. He has also kicked off 50 times, putting 29 of them into the opponent's end zone. In the season opener vs. St. Marys, he sailed 5 of 6 kickoffs into the end zone and in two playoff games, has booted 8 of 12 for touchbacks. All-State football material? Silly question.

*Columbus Scotus Rushing Offense- Are you kidding me? In the 42-7 semifinal win over Wilber-Clatonia, the Shamrocks used 10 different players to rush 24 times for 370 yards. That's 15.4 yards a carry against the #1 rushing defense in Class C-1 that had previously allowed 827 ground yards ALL SEASON. HUH?

Matter of fact, the Rocks two backs, Jake Bos and Baeley Pelster combined for 211 yards on just 9 touches. The fleet Pelster gained 142 on just 5 carries and shook loose for an electrifying 97 yard scoring run on Scotus' 1st play from scrimmage. Bos carried the ball only 4 times but gained 69 yards, including a 49 yard TD scamper.

Cole Harrington addd 97 yards on 5 carries and a 69 yard TD run. Sophomore Matt Strecker carried the ball only 3 times for 37 yards and scored on a 37 TD run.

The most important ingredient to Columbus Scotus rushing success is that none of their offensive linemen have to cross over and play defense. They just stay fresh and merely open gaping holes for backs to run through.

The Shamrocks will finally get to Memorial Stadium and face Norfolk Catholic in the Class C-1 State Final Tuesday, November 24th in the 10:45 am curtain raiser. Once a Bonnie, always a Bonnie.

*David Englehaupt- Norfolk Catholic - Wyoming commit ripped the Boys Town defense for 178 yards on just 12 carries. The 6-4, 230 pound senior scored TDs on runs of 63, 6, and 61 yards against a very fast Cowboy defense with tons of Track speed. That brings David's rushing total to an unofficial 1,282 yards going into the State Championship game vs. Scotus.

First Team Super State football material without a doubt.

*Victory Sikes and the Burwell comeback win over Amherst - The 8-Man football world is still in shock and disbelief over this one. The Longhorns trailed Amherst 34-12 early in the 2nd quarter and 41-20 with less than a minute remaining till halftime. But a 20 yard TD pass from Victory Sikes to Tyler Gideon with 41 ticks left till halftime not only cut the lead to 41-28, but keyed an incredible 44 point run that left Amherst reeling.

QB Victory Sikes would lead Burwell to scores on 5 of their 6 second half possessions enroute to an improbable 64-41 over an Amherst team that had beaten them 34-21 on October 22nd, the final game of the regular season.

Sikes, the 6-2, 180 pound senior put the team on his back and carried the 'Horns with his 29 rushes for 204 yards and 5 touchdown performance. That wasn't all. The poised, determined Sikes completed 18 of 32 passes for 213 yards and 4 more scores in the amazing win.

Victory had a hand in 9 touchdowns, compiled 417 yards of total offense, made 6 tackles on defense and punted twice for a 38.5 yard average.

Not much more you can ask of a player. The Longhorns will face Clearwater-Orchard this afternoon at Burwell in one of the D-1 semifinal games. Kickoff is slated for 5:00. Bring your blood pressure pills. Winner advances to Lincoln.

*BDS Defense - Put the clamps on 8-Man football's best player Tanner Hass, to beat West Point Guardian Angels CC 36-16 in another D-1 quarterfinal matchup. Hass, who had compiled 1,682 yards entering the game, was held to just 40 yards before he broke loose for a 56 yard TD run in the game's closing moments. In fact, The Bluejays had only 80 total rushing yards before the late Hass burst.

BDS defenders like linebackers Ben Elznic and Sam Christensen make this defense pretty stout. The Eagles are out to make amends for a 52-8 state finals loss to Hemingford a year ago and will continue on that mission when they host unbeaten Creighton today in Shickley in a D-1 semifinal. Game time is set for 3:00 pm and this guy will beat both teams there.

*Brook Baller- Creighton - Can't get a much better last name for an athlete, eh? The 5-10, 165 pound senior rambled for 296 yards on 23 carries (12.9/carry) and scored 4 touchdowns on runs of 41, 4, 58 and 2 yards in Creighton's 72-32 romp over injury riddled High Plains. Baller's yards were just part of the Bulldog's 567 rushing yard, 28 first downs game.

QB Ryan Neumann chipped in with 121 yards on 14 touches and 2 more TDs (4, 24 Runs), and FB Lane Walton added 73 yards on 18 carries and 4 scores (1, 3, 2, 5 Runs) for the Dogs.

Baller has come alive during Creighton's 3 playoff games, rushing for a huge 607 yards (8 TDs), 489 big ones coming in the last two games (High Plains and Clarkson-Leigh). Brook now has 931 yards rushing for the season.

........up next, Playoff Heroes Part II.