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Bison stay warm moving to touchdowns in 63-0 win
No youngster’s left standing out in the cold when playing for this year’s McCook Bison football team.
Every Bison from seniors to freshmen contributed again during McCook’s most decisive win yet this season: 63-0 over those rival Holdrege Dusters Friday night.
Senior Alec Bunger ignited the latest Bison fire with 133 yards on just nine carries, but junior reserve Corban Jernigan almost matched his pace by adding 131 during just seven attempts.
They all shared one common Bison trait: total domination.
“Everyone runs so hard that plays normally gaining seven yards turn into 20 or 30,” coach Jeff Gross said about his 7-0 McCook Bison.
Sophomore Leighton Fisher delivered the final three carries capped by his first varsity touchdown from three yards away.
Meanwhile, one Holdrege Duster was running almost 10 yards..WOO HOO...though against his will courtesy of another relentless McCook Bison blocker.
Ouch. Purple pride took quite a hit Friday night.
“(Senior lineman) Nick Baker blocked a guy for about nine yards and got called for illegal receiver downfield,” coach Jeff Gross said following the 63-0 Bison victory. “I guess we gotta teach him not to kick someone’s butt that far.”
The Bison did see penalty flags erase two more TD plays. They were flagged for 50 yards to Holdrege’s none.
Yet maybe that’s more positive proof how these Bison are playing strong week after week no matter who they face.
“I can’t tell my guys to not be aggressive. We are who we are,” Gross observed. “You look at earlier games against teams like York. We weren’t getting penalties against teams that were fighting back.”
Holdrege (1-6 record) showed little more resistance than the previous four Bison foes who’ve scored 16 points TOTAL compared to McCook’s 218 (a 54-4 average margin).
The Dusters recovered an early McCook fumble, but they quickly gave that ball back to junior safety Cameryn Berry.
Berry quickly resumed his quarterback duties and found senior Morgan Fawver for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Even on this increasingly breezy and brisk Friday night, McCook completed five of its seven pass attempts for better than 70 percent.
Berry also kept his touchdown-to-interception ratio simply flawless at 10-0.
“Cam did a really good job of throwing the ball,” Gross confirmed. “There was one play early where he kept moving and stretching the defense until DJ (Gross) popped open. Then he fired a perfect strike.”
However, McCook’s ground attack quickly became the strongest factor in this latest blowout.
Senior Gabe Sehnert set the tone early, leaving Dusters in his — no don’t say it...too late..dust on several tackle-breaking rumbles.
Sehnert smashed, dashed and split through defenders for a 20-yard touchdown.
Senior Trae Koetter kicked the second PAT of his latest perfect evening (seven for seven).
Following Bunger’s first TD covering 45 yards, Holdrege decided to not even field the next kickoff.
Fawver’s lofting boot dropped to Keifer Field between a few potential Duster kick returners.
Before one stepped forward, Jernagan was jumping on this loose pigskin to set up the next Bison six points.
Berry delivered even though he briefly bobbled the snap and that football flew upward.
No sweat. He quickly regained control and plunged one yard to finish a 28-point Bison first quarter.
Holdrege couldn’t stop this bad-bad start mainly because the Duster offense rarely earned even a first down.
“We just felt like we new their plays,” coach Gross explained. “They were just never on offense because we were.”
Bunger covered 14 yards for another TD in his varsity career-best rushing performance.
McCook added Berry’s 10th touchdown pass with a super-timed, 22-yard screen pass to Sehnert.
Bunger needed just one more time to warm up in the blustery cold. He took a Berry handoff, cut back against the defensive flow and dashed 46 yards into Holdrege’s end zone.
The seventh Koetter PAT capped this 49-0 first half.
“We felt we could take advantage of some things by moving DJ (Gross) into a lead H-back position and we did,” coach Gross said. “They (opponents) have been playing him so tough at the line, we figured why not get him moving forward instead.”
Jernigan (54 yards) and Fisher moved forward to these two second-half TDs during another “running clock” second half — McCook’s fifth in seven games this season. Those start with leads of by 35 points or more after intermission.
“I know these last few opponents haven’t pressured us a lot. That’s okay if we’re getting better,” the coach concluded.