Memorial Stadium played host to the Class D2, Class D1 and Class A NSAA Football State Championships on Monday.
The Hurrdat Sports team was there all day to bring you comprehensive coverage of all three games.
CLASS D2
No. 4 Central Valley 52, No. 6 Riverside 12
After a one-score game between these teams in the season-opener, Central Valley left no doubt in the rematch to secure its first state championship.
Senior quarterback Zaden Wolf ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries while converting four two-point attempts (three passing, one rushing). The bulk of that production came in the first quarter as Central Valley outgained Riverside 200 to 28 in the first 12 minutes, including 138 yards from Wolf.
Senior linebacker Tae Soto led the defensive effort with 12 tackles (2.5 for loss), three pass breakups, two sacks and one quarterback hurry while catching two two-point conversions on offense.
Central Valley’s defense forced five turnovers (three interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and held Riverside to 2-for-6 on fourth down. Gunnar Vanosdall returned one pick for a 33-yard touchdown and Boston Wood, who had two picks, returned one 68 yards for another score.
The Cougars scored the first 46 points of the game before Riverside found the end zone for the first time. They put up 24 points in the first quarter and another 22 in the second, scoring on their first six drives before their only punt of the game (a 45-yarder from Lane Foltz, the nephew of the late Huskers punter Sam Foltz).
The Central Valley defense limited a high-powered Riverside offense to 108 total yards while forcing four turnovers and stopping three fourth-down attempts in the first half. That led to a quick second half with the clock running throughout.
Junior quarterback Larry Diessner threw for 113 yards and two touchdowns (both to senior Dane Schalk) for the Chargers, but the Cougars held him to one rushing yard on 16 carries.
“It’s always been a dream to come here, it almost doesn’t feel real.”@CVcougarFB quarterback @Zadenk03 joined @Austin2Jacobsen after rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns in Central Valley’s state title win. #nebpreps | @Borsheims pic.twitter.com/Xj9wcKNMpB
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) November 25, 2024
CLASS D1
Sandy Creek seniors Ethan Shaw (2) and Connor Rempe (1) celebrate during the Cougars’ 44-42 win over Stanton in the Class D1 championship. Photo by Mac Johnson.
No. 1 Sandy Creek 44, No. 2 Stanton 42
Two of the most prolific quarterbacks in the state put on a show, but it was one defensive stand amid a flurry of touchdowns that allowed the Cougars to seal the game and secure their first state championship.
Sandy Creek dethroned the reigning state champions to finish 13-0 on the year despite Stanton running 32 more plays.
Senior Ethan Shaw completed six of his nine passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns and ran the ball 25 times for 178 yards and two more scores. He added eight tackles including 2.5 for loss on defense. Connor Rempe led the defensive effort with 16 tackles while totaling 89 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) on offense.
The game saw 712 yards of offense and 12 total touchdowns, the last by Stanton early in the fourth quarter. Needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, quarterback Barrett Wilke kept it himself and tried to run it in, but Rempe took him down short of the end zone.
A bit of unfortunate luck for Sandy Creek gave Stanton another chance as a ball from Shaw bounced off a receiver’s hands right to Jordan Claussen for an interception near the goal line. On the ensuing drive, Stanton faced a fourth-and-1 at midfield, and again it was Rempe who made the play, tackling Wilke for a 1-yard loss with just over four minutes to play. The Cougars ran the clock out from there thanks to a fourth-down conversion from Shaw.
Stanton used a successful onside kick to build a two-possession lead early in the second quarter, but Sandy Creek capitalized on a snap miscue to steal a possession back and tie it up. Another snap issue inside the Sandy Creek five on the final play of the first half meant Stanton had to settle for a 28-20 lead at the break.
Another Stanton fumble, this one forced by Jacob Petr and recovered by Shaw, allowed Sandy Creek to take the lead four minutes into the third quarter. The teams traded touchdowns and two-point conversions to close out the third quarter with the Cougars up 44-36, setting up the dramatic fourth quarter.
Wilke ran the ball 49 times for Stanton, racking up 248 yards and five touchdowns. He also completed three of his five passes for 50 yards and another touchdown while recording six tackles (one for loss) on defense. Becker Pohlman added 82 yards on the ground and accounted for all of Stanton’s receiving production while leading the defense with 10 tackles including one for loss.
The loss ended Stanton’s winning streak at 25 games, one shy of a second-consecutive perfect season.
“We looked at each other at halftime, and we were like, ‘This is where we take over.’”@Ethan_Shaw11 joined @Austin2Jacobsen after his five-touchdown performance in @SCougars’ 44-42 win over Stanton. #nebpreps | @Borsheims pic.twitter.com/XVwyltr1cE
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) November 26, 2024
CLASS A
Millard South junior quarterback Jett Thomalla winds up to throw in the Class A championship game. Photo by Mac Johnson.
No. 2 Millard South 27, No. 1 Omaha Westside 10
Millard South held the high-powered Westside offense to a season-low 10 points and out-scored the Warriors 21-0 in the second half to take home the Class A championship. It’s the Patriots’ first championship since 2019, and third overall.
Millard South recorded 13 tackles for loss including seven sacks as the Patriots limited the Warrior passing attack to 51 yards while picking sophomore Braylen Warren off twice. Westside finished with 169 yards and averaged 2.9 yards per play.
Adam Pugh and Solomon Baker had 2.5 sacks apiece and combined for 13 tackles while Teagan Urban led the way with 10 tackles in his second game back from an injury that cost him a good chunk of the season.
Offensively, quarterback Jett Thomalla went 19-for-29 for 222 yards and three touchdowns. The junior shattered the Class A single-season passing records with 3,886 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Aamir Hill ran the ball seven times for 100 yards and a touchdown and caught eight passes for 64 yards and two scores, with 151 of his 164 yards from scrimmage coming in the second half. The Patriots were without junior tight end Isaac Jensen, and top wideout Amarion Jackson went down with an injury in the first half and didn’t return.
Both defenses flexed their muscles early as the teams combined for 39 yards, six tackles for loss, five punts and a turnover on downs on the first six drives of the game.
Millard South finally broke through on its fourth drive as Thomalla hit some big-time throws including a 40-yard bomb to Jackson to set up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Gaius early in the second period. The point-after sailed wide, however.
Two drives later, Jenkins ripped off a 63-yard touchdown run to get the Warriors on the board, and Everest Scherlizin tacked on a 38-yard field goal on Westside’s next drive to give the Warriors a 10-6 lead they took into halftime.
However, the second half belonged to the Patriots — and to Hill in particular. Thomalla found him for a 36-yard touchdown to cap a 99-yard go-ahead drive late in the third quarter.
The teams traded interceptions, then Millard South missed a field goal, setting up a Westside drive midway through the fourth. After just missing on a deep shot on second down, Warren ran it on third down and came up two yards short of the line to gain. Westside opted to go for it on fourth down at its own 28 with Warren running it again, but the Patriots took him down for a 1-yard loss to get the ball back.
Four plays later, Thomalla extended a play all the way out to the right sideline before finding Hill in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game. The Patriot defense then sacked Warren three straight times for a three-and-out and Hill ripped off an 81-yard dagger on third-and-13 touchdown run with just over two minutes to play to seal the victory.
Sophomore Tay Tay Jenkins totaled 122 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Patriots. Westside played without head coach Paul Limongi because of a medical emergency.
Millard South coach Ty Wisdom after the Patriots first class A state football championship since 2009. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/lrxpPI1HBB
— Mike Sautter (@MikeSautter_) November 26, 2024
