Knights overcome slow start in win over Bobcats
ARNOLD - After a slow start, the D-2 No.7 Sandhills-Thedford football team used a strong second-half performance to beat South Loup 55-14 on Sept. 25.
“We didn’t come out as sharp as we usually do and didn’t play the way we know we can actually play,” Grant Ahlstrom said. “It’s tough when we don’t come out and play the way we are capable of.”
After forcing the Bobcats into a three and out on their first possession, the Knights wasted no time moving down the field to take the lead. Dane Pokorny was able to score on a two-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass from Ahlstrom to Drew McIntosh put them ahead 8-0.
After getting the ball back on a stop, the mistakes started to pile up for Sandhills-Thedford.
First, the Knights fumbled the ball on the 29-yard line and the football was recovered by Sam Cool. During the drive, a face mask on Sandhills-Thedford gave the Bobcats a fresh set of downs.
South Loup took advantage of these mistakes and Cool was able to score on a quarterback scramble from two yards out. The Bobcats tied the game with a completed pass from Cool to Brett Halstead with 2:04 left in the first.
At the end of the quarter, the Knights put themselves in scoring position heading to the second with a big pass from Ahlstrom to Pokorny from their own 18 down to South Loup’s 22.
Pokorny would finish off the drive with a touchdown run on 3 and 4, to take back the lead.
Sandhills- Thedford scored one more time before halftime, on a 16yard pass from Ahlstrom to Reece Zutavern. The two-point conversion was no good, making it 20-8 at halftime.
For the most part, Sandhills-Thedford who has scored 280 points on the season was held in check. If it wasn’t for the play of Pokorny running the ball and Ahlstrom throwing the football it could have been closer.
You also have to give credit to the South Loup defense, who did a good job creating turnovers in the first half.
“It was great to play that good in the first half,” South Loup head coach Mat Jageler said. “There were still some mistakes we made, but it was good to see.”
Coming out of halftime, the Bobcats were able to use the momentum from the first half to put together a scoring drive.
Cool completed a pass to Brett Halstead for a 21-yard touchdown. After missing the two-point try, South Loup trailed 20-14.
This was the wake-up call Sandhills-Thedford needed. After that touchdown, it was all Knights the rest of the way to the finish.
Hickman who was bottled up in the first half, broke free for a 56-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also scored on runs of 24 yards and 40 yards in the quarter.
The game that started as a six-point difference in the beginning of the quarter, turned into a 42-14 advantage for Sandhills-Thedford heading to the fourth.
“Normally we don’t start like that, when we face better teams up in playoffs, we will not be able to start like that,” Hickman said. “After we had a conversation over halftime and we went over different plays it started working for us.”
In the final frame, Hickman once again broke free on a return, this time it was a punt, that resulted in a score from 48 yards out.
Pokorny ended the game with a 20-yard touchdown run. The extra point kick by Brayden Guggenmos was good.
Leaders offensively for Sandhills-Thedford in the win were Trae Hickman with 99 rushing yards and two scores and Dane Pokorny with 64 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Ahlstrom had 115 passing yards in the game, while Hickman had two receptions for 28 yards, Pokorny had 39, Zeb Wilde had 32, and Reece Zutavern had 16 receiving yards and a score.
On the defensive side of the ball, Reed McFadden had 14 tackles, McIntosh had 13, Pokorny 10, and Brayton Branic had six.
South Loup was led by Cool with 42 rushing yards, Reagan Ross with 23, and Dalton Kunkee had 18 rushing yards. Throwing the ball, Cool completed 2 of 7 passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.
Leading the team in tackles was Kunkee with 11, Cool with eight, and Cooper Atkins with six.
South Loup is at home against D2 No.6 Pleasanton in Callaway and Sandhills-Thedford plays at home in Thedford vs Ansley-Litchfield on Oct. 2.