Lutheran High NE Scoring Explosion rolls on with 66-26 win.

A Trio of Lutheran High NE Kants (L-R)Asst. Coach Myles Kant, QB Jaxson Kant, and Asst, Coach and Dad, Max Kant. Jaxson is a 1000 yard rusher and Max was a 1000 yarder for Winside back in 1989. *(photo by Bobby Mills)

OSCEOLA, NE-

When your offense averages 66 points a game, and even scores 66 points in your only loss of the season, you know you have something special.

Such is the case with 9-1 Lutheran High Northeast (Norfolk) this season, and tonight was no different, as the Eagles soared past Osceola/High Plains 66-26 in a 2nd Round Class D-1 playoff contest in Osceola.

Just as Lutheran High NE has done the previous 9 games of 2018, the potent Eagles offensive attack rode the talented legs and arm of phenomenal junior quarterback Jaxson Kant, who came into the game with Dual-Threat rushing and passing numbers off the charts.

In 9 previous outings, the 5-11, 175 pound Kant had piled up 1,253 yards rushing and 1,401 more yards through the air, and there was nothing different about this Halloween evening in beautiful Osceola, Nebraska, USA.

Kant, who bolted 53 yards for a touchdown on the Eagles very first play from scrimmage, ended the night with 136 yards on 24 carries, most of which were all into the heart of the Stormdog defense, and 2 touchdowns.

The poised junior also completed 10 of 14 passes for 197 yards and even caught a 63 yard scoring pass from Kalvin Watts on a cleverly drawn up flea-flicker play that saw Jaxson play possum, before breaking free over the middle and catching the pass with nary a soul around him.

And talk about having himself a night to tell his kids about someday, check out this classmate dude of Kant’s by the name of Ben Gebhardt.

After Jaxson Kant had already carried the football 8 out of Lutheran High NE’s first 9 running plays, scoring the first two TDs, Osceola/High Plains begin to fight back, sending hard running, junior QB Dylan Soule into the end zone for a 1 yard scoring burst.

But then enter one Mr. Gebhardt…...like 15 seconds later to be exact..

On the ensuing Stormdog kickoff following the Soule score, Gebhardt fielded the Javier Marino boot and scooted 76 yards down the Lutheran High NE sidelines for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Osceola/High Plains, this would be a pattern that would continue for most of the first half.

Before it was over, Ben Gebhardt would return another kickoff for a score, this one a 75 yard dandy to open the 2nd half, catch a 25 yard touchdown pass from Kant and then pirate three Dylan Soule passes, two on back to back Stormdog possessions.

And what about this Osceola/High Plains football team, who was finally healthy after going through a mid-season three game losing slide, that was basically caused by the absence of 1000 yard rusher Keaton Van Housen?

Well, let me tell you, young Van Housen, the usually unstoppable running back, and son of former Polk-Hordville legend, Paul Van Housen, suffered a high ankle sprain on the second play of the loss to powerful Exeter/Milligan-Friend in Game 6. That hurt the Stormdogs big time.

High ankle sprains can be a horribly dogging, nagging injury that tricks many a player into thinking they are 100% when they really know one wrong cut will cause another setback.

So honestly, I wonder if Keaton Van Housen was actually 100% entering this playoff tilt? He looked like a famous “Van Housen” (aka Craig, Paul, Dale) early on, scoring a 7 yard touchdown run in the second stanza, and hauling in Dylan Soule aerials covering 25, 6 and 39 yards. And oh Momma, was that 39 yard catch a beauty. Only a guy named “Van Housen” could have made that grab with a defender draped all over his #5 uniform.

And yes, two of those receptions set up Stormdog touchdowns, but ironically, the shortest catch, (the 6 yarder), knocked Keaton out of the game right before halftime. Yep, the high ankle sprain again.

Down 38-18 at the half, Osceola/High Plains head coach TJ Nielsen, a very good head man, sent Keaton back into the game on the 2nd play of the 3rd quarter. But one carry and no yards gained, sent the splendid junior to the sidelines for the remainder of the contest. Huge blow.

The Stormdogs did proceed to score on that possession, a 14 yard Dylan Soule pass to Carter Boden. That actually cut the Lutheran High NE lead to 46-26 with 9:16 left in the 3rd….plenty of time to rally in an 8-Man football game. But the high scoring Eagles offense, and their swarming defense dimmed the lights on a comeback, and shut them off for good with two more Jaxson Kant scoring passes and a Hayden Boudette 2 yard scoring plunge.

Lutheran High Northeast moves to 9-1, and on to the Class D-1 Quarterfinals, earning a home game with #1 seed, high scoring, and undefeated Creighton. The Bulldogs will be coming to Norfolk next Tuesday. And, if you plan on keeping stats on that baby, you’d better buy an extra legal notepad.

Osceola/High Plains closes out the 2018 season with a 5-5 record that included games against 6 teams that made the playoffs and a 7th team (Ravenna) that was ineligible and would have been in had it not been for that factor.

And the Stormdogs 1st round playoff win over defending D-1 Champion BDS, ending the school’s 21 game win streak…….pretty sweet. And the other good news? This Osceola/High Plains football team returns nearly all of it’s starters from both sides of the ball next season.

** And a just side note to this one. This was the first time in my entire career I have seen a football game that featured not one, but two Father/Son 1000 Yard Rusher Duos.

Keaton Van Housen of Osceola/High Plains (1,092 yards) and dad Paul Van Housen (2,142 yards/1986 and 1,765 yards/1987) and Jaxson Kant of Lutheran High NE (1,389 yards) and his Pop, LHNE Asst. Coach, Max Kant (1,167 yards/1989 for Winside).

What are the odds of witnessing that? How sweet it is!

................................................1…....2…....3......4..........F

(9-1) Lutheran High NE.........20….18......16....12........66

(5-5) Osceola/High Plains......6.....12……8…...0.........26

………………………………………………………………….….....LHNE - OHP

1st Qtr.

LHNE - Jaxson Kant 53 run..PAT- (run failed), 8:40………...……....6……..0

LHNE - Kant 1 run...PAT - (Kant run), 2:36……………………..……....14……..0

O/HP - Dylan Soule 1 run...PAT - (pass failed), 0:18……. ..………….14……..6

LHNE - Ben Gebhardt 76 kick return...PAT - (run failed), 0:13.......20……..6

2nd Qtr.

OHP - Soule 6 run...PAT - (run failed), 11:12……………………..…...… .20……12

LHNE - Logan Nitz 3 run...PAT - (run failed), 6:45……………..…..….26...….12

OHP - Keaton Van Housen 7 run...PAT - (run failed), 5:26 ………....26…...18

LHNE - Tanner Koss 31 pass from Kant...PAT - (run failed), 3:01….32..….18

LHNE - Kant 62 pass from Kalvin Watts...PAT - (run failed)...…..... .38..….18

3rd Qtr.

LHNE - Gebhardt 75 kick return...PAT - (Kant run), 11:48……….....… 46…...18

OHP - Carter Boden 15 pass from Soule...PAT - (Soule run), 9:15...…. 46......26

LHNE - Gebhardt 25 pass from Kant...PAT - (Ecktenkamp run), 3:24 .54….26

4th Qtr.

LHNE - Tanner Koss 35 pass from Kant...PAT - (kick blocked), 7:30…60.....26

LHNE - Haydyn Beaudette 3 run...PAT - (run failed), 2:03………..….….66.....26