Right on the heels of a fantastic week one victory over Hastings, the Elkhorn North football team took its first road trip to a brand new school in Lincoln Northwest. The biggest challenge for the Wolves heading into the game would be whether they could stay far from comfortable and continue to accelerate after starting 1-0. They left nothing on the table. Elkhorn North stepped on the gas pedal from the get-go and never looked back.
The Wolves did exactly what they were supposed to do in a game against an opponent creating a brand new program with no seniors, reminiscent of Elkhorn North’s very own inaugural season back in 2020. That was a year in which the Wolves had to battle through similar losses against teams much older and much more experienced than them.
This time, they were able to finish on the winning end of a game like that and they did so in controlling fashion.
Elkhorn North forced a quick three-and-out to begin the game and a tipped punt gave the Wolves perfect field position for their first offensive drive. After a couple plays, Josh Basilevac, who continued to throw the ball extremely well this week, hit Billy Hendryx on a slant route to give the Wolves their first touchdown of the game.
From that point forward, Elkhorn North steered the ship. Another relentless performance by the Sam Thomas-led defensive line proved too much for the inexperienced Lincoln Northwest offense. The Falcons had trouble running the football as well with the Elkhorn North defense plugging most gaps with ease.
Offensively, the Wolves had little trouble moving the football. They dictated the pace of the game and were complemented by great field position given to them by the defense and special teams. It was the perfect game for the Wolves to continue to establish the playbook and for Basilevac to continue to settle in as the starting quarterback for the Wolves.
Elkhorn North put up 28 points in the first quarter and reached 63 by halftime. Ultimately, the coaching staff chose a good sportsmanship approach in the second half and seriously dialed down the tempo of the offense, scoring only one touchdown to make the final score 70-0. The second half saw non-starters getting a large chunk of the playing time which was beneficial for Elkhorn North to be able to reach all areas of the depth chart. The more guys on a roster with experience, the better.
Overall, it was a game Elkhorn North was supposed to win at least comfortably, and they did so dominantly. It’s hard to overstate how difficult it is to stay competitive in football games without a senior class and Elkhorn North knows exactly what that is like having experienced the same issue just a couple of years ago. The Wolves had to bide their time but are finally taking off and reaching new heights. This season, Lincoln Northwest is having to struggle against the same circumstances. Despite the way their schedule will likely look at the end of the season, the Falcons have young talent and won’t take long to be a contender within Class B.
“We came out, played well, and we did our job,” Thomas said. “We showed everyone what kind of team we can be.”
The Wolves will return back home to take on Crete (1-1) this Friday with a real chance to open up the season 3-0. However, Crete is always a competitive team who will put up a fight. It should be a very interesting match-up.
