It was a frigid Friday night, the temperature was under 35 degrees, the wind gusting over 10 mph. The Elkhorn North Wolves faced off against their rivals from Elkhorn High for the second time this year. Many anticipated another blowout game, but something in the air that night didn’t want that to happen.
The Antlers received the first half kick, and got down to the 35 yard line. The Antlers started with a quick run to the 50 yard line. After the run game got shut down, Kayd Matthews (QB for the Antlers) threw up a jump ball which was swatted away by sophomore cornerback Alex Uchtman. Now, with a punt by the Antlers, the Wolves received the ball at their own 20 yard line. On just the second play of the Wolves first drive, junior running back Jett Tingelhoff finds a gap, and explodes past the secondary for an 80 yard touchdown.
After just a quick drive by the Wolves, the Antlers were ready to march down the field too, after a 80 yard kickoff return there was little pressure on the offense to do so. Chase Loftin was able to stop Salvatore at the 13 yard line, putting all the pressure on the Wolves defense, with the rest of the team relying on them to get a stop. Fortunately for the Antlers, Kayd Matthews got a five yard leaping touchdown, tying the lead only five minutes into the first.
After these two back to back touchdowns, the rest of the first quarter became very defense heavy, with both the Wolves and the Antlers punting two times. This ended the first quarter with a score of 7-7.
The Wolves running back Jett Tingelhoff opened the second quarter with another great run, this time 30 yards, assisted by senior fullback Ty Kunz, who laid down a big block. After multiple back to back runs, the Wolves changed up their look and Johnny Ferguson and his receivers marched down the field. The passing streak ended with a lob to Chase Loftin, putting the Wolves inside the ten yard line. Shortly after, they went back to the run game, but Tingelhoff was stopped two plays in a row, leaving Johnny Ferguson to run it in himself, helping the Wolves extend their lead with just under eight minutes left in the half.
Immediately following the score by the Wolves, Antler’s Kayd Matthews takes the ball himself and scored for the second time that night. Instead of a five yard leaping touchdown, this time it was a 75+ yard touchdown with no one coming close to catching him. This cut down the Wolves lead from seven to none.
A drive later the Antlers took a shot to the end zone but Andrew Salvatore drops a wide open pass that would have been an easy score. Still feeling confident the Antlers took another shot but all momentum changed when sophomore linebacker Jase Reynolds intercepted the ball inside the ten yard line, and ran it back to the forty to save the Wolves from what should have been an easy score.
A penalty by senior linebacker Chris Thiessen forced the ball back to the 23 yard line, but the Wolves pressed on, quickly earning that yardage back. With two other rushing touchdowns in the Wolves bag, Ferguson takes it himself once again and scrambles for a 60 yard touchdown. Elkhorn North extended their lead once again, hoping their defense doesn’t give up another quick touchdown.
As hoped the defense turned things around, and did what they’ve done all season. They forced the Antlers to punt, or so they thought. As the Wolves set up in their punt return formation, Elkhorn ran a fake, gaining 25 yards. With a big play for the Antlers, the Wolves defense needed to step up, and they did. For the second time on the night, Jase Reynolds intercepted an attempted out route, giving the Wolves offense the ball at midfield.
This new drive ended quickly when Johnny Ferguson forced a pass that ended up in the Antlers hands. The first half ended with a score of 21-14, and unlike the last game between the two teams, the Antlers were still in this one.
The second half started off incredibly slow for the Wolves but as the Wolves marched down the field, they started to feel really comfortable. That all changed when Salvatore intercepted Johnny Ferguson and returned it for a touchdown, tying the score once again.
After many more slow drives, sophomore Barry Fries forced a fumble and picking it up was senior Cole Daubert, giving the Wolves offense the ball on their own 29 yard line. Going into the fourth quarter, Elkhorn North had a fresh set of downs, the score was tied, and just like at halftime, the Antlers were not out of this one.
With a few short, and a few long plays, the Wolves offense got the ball down to the red-zone, where they would rely on Chase Loftin to make a field goal. Although Loftin is a four star tight end, he can also kick field goals, and this time he made a 35+ yard field goal to give the Wolves the lead with just under ten minutes left in the game.
The Wolves aggressive defense forced a quick three and out, making the Antlers punt halfway through the final quarter.
Now with the ball, the Wolves probably thought this was going to be their last drive of the game, so they needed to score here to extend the lead even more, to force the Antlers to need a touchdown. As the Wolves were slowly marching down the field, the Antlers defense was stopping them every play, except for third down. The biggest third down play for the Wolves was a scramble by Johnny Ferguson, helping continue the Wolves drive.
The Antlers finally put a stop to Elkhorn North’s progress, forcing them to face a 4th and 10 situation. Although Loftin hit a 35 yard field goal earlier in the game, Coach Stanely decided to go for it. With Stanley having faith in the Wolves offense, Johnny Ferguson dropped back to pass, and threw a lob up to Tommy Meckna at the back right pylon. It seemed like the ball was floating in the air for eternity, as one of the most important plays of the game could either be a touchdown or a turnover. The ball landed perfectly in Meckna’s hands while in stride, giving the Wolves the biggest lead of the night.
With 50 seconds left, the defense lined up in their positions, and forced a quick three and out, giving the Wolves the 31-21 win.
With this victory for Elkhorn North, the rivalry between the two schools is now 3-2, still in favor of the Antlers. The Wolves will play again in the playoffs on Friday against #13 Scottsbluff at 4:00pm at home, while the Antlers are eliminated from their hopes of winning the state championship.
