A 3-0 start. After two wins in two seasons, Elkhorn North is now one of the hottest Class B teams through week three. The Wolves have rolled past all three opponents with a combined score of 138-7. Overall, Elkhorn North’s game against Crete this last Friday demonstrated that the Wolves are continuing to gain momentum as they inch closer to the brunt of the schedule.
It was a beautiful night, almost enough to make one believe that it was already the month of October. The wind was certainly going to play a pivotal role in the game and it reached up to 20 miles per hour at times. Wind, everyone knew, would not matter to Crete’s offense as it relied heavily on the running game. The question stood: would Elkhorn North be able to keep up its stellar passing attack seen in the previous two games?
The answer was yes. In fact, it may have been the best passing performance showcased by the Wolves all season. Josh Basilevac put up big numbers and looked fantastic yet again, his offensive line provided elite pass protection, and the Elkhorn North receivers had, without a doubt, their best game thus far.
Right off the bat, Basilevac hit Tommy Meckna through the air for a massive gain which put Elkhorn North inside the Crete ten yard line. This was capped off by a Basilevac designed quarterback run from a few yards out, resulting in a touchdown. The Wolves have been doing a fantastic job getting the offense going early in games so far this season.
Defensively, it was another dominant night for Elkhorn North. The Wolves knew Crete would run the ball between the tackles, attempting to play smash-mouth football all night. It didn’t work to any extent as the Elkhorn North linebackers plugged holes while the defensive line harassed Cardinal quarterback Tadd TeBrink over the course of the entire game.
A quick three-and-out forced by the Elkhorn North defense on Crete’s first drive gave the Wolves the ball back. They then proceeded to execute an efficient, drawn-out drive, culminating with a Christian Young touchdown run of about fifteen yards or so. Elkhorn North had all the momentum midway through the first quarter.
Crete, looking for a productive drive, turned the ball over right away on the ensuing possession. Johnny Radicia intercepted a pass to give the Wolves the ball inside the Cardinal ten yard line and Young reached the end zone again to give the Wolves a 21-0 lead with about four minutes to go in the first quarter.
From this point on, the game seemed well out of reach for the Cardinals. Elkhorn North scored yet again on a beautifully thrown ball by Basilevac to Chase Loftin in the back left corner of the end zone towards the end of the second quarter. The Wolves had a 27-0 edge at halftime with all the momentum in the world.
The Cardinals did open the second half with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Star running back Angel Martinez, who had been severely limited by Elkhorn North’s stout defense in the first half, made some noise on Crete’s first drive of the third quarter.
After a methodical drive in which the Cardinals finally activated their rushing attack, Jedidiah Kracl punched it into the end zone for Crete’s sole touchdown of the game. The Elkhorn North defense gave up its first points of the year. The game sat at about midway through the third quarter.
On the following Elkhorn North drive, Crete took the ball away from the Wolves by forcing a fumble. It seemed as if the Cardinals were piling some momentum when the Elkhorn North defense was able to force a fumble of its own. This would be the nail-in-the-coffin moment for the Cardinals.
The Wolves scored two more touchdowns: a pass to Tommy Meckna and a run by Ryan Kennedy. Crete mustered together a few more productive drives but costly turnovers prevented the Cardinals from being able to put any more points on the board. The game ended with a final score of 40-7. The Wolves, in all their roster turnover from the previous season, officially started 3-0.
Elkhorn North, once again, continued to accelerate and left no doubt, the same as in previous games. Basilevac played arguably his best game yet and proved his elite ability to make plays in the running game as well. That versatility will serve Elkhorn North well throughout the season by keeping opposing defenses honest.
Both the running back and receiving rooms had an impressive night. Christian Young and Ryan Kennedy provide differing skill sets to enhance the rushing attack, while Meckna, Loftin, Billy Hendryx, and Jett Tingelhoff make up a deep, talented receiving corps that continues to improve with each game. The offensive line was a dominant force for a third week in a row, too.
Crete’s Tadd TeBrink and Angel Martinez both made plays, however the Elkhorn North defense was terrific all night and forced big time turnovers to limit easily the strongest offense it has seen thus far.
With a 3-0 record, the Wolves now travel to Grand Island Northwest. This is a Grand Island Northwest team that is 0-3 but has lost to three Class B contenders in Aurora, Skutt, and Seward. It will be another prove-it game for Elkhorn North. Should be a fun one.
This game will kick off at 4:00 p.m. this Friday at Grand Island Northwest.
