Syracuse football coach Rick Nordhues wishes he had as many bodies as some other C1 football coaches. But, the Rockets depth — they suit up just 30 players — finally caught up to them on Friday night as they fell to Falls City in our Game-of-the-Week, 25-16.
The Rockets scored on the opening drive of the second half to take a 16-12 lead on Falls City (7-1), but after that the Tigers wore them down. Quarterback Tanner Harsin scored on a 1-yard run for the Rockets and added a 21-yard pass to Chris Goble for the third quarter lead.
But, after that it was all Tigers. They got touchdowns on consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarter from Jackson Hartman to take the District 2 title. Hartman was a workhorse, running for 72 yards on 20 attempts and completing six passes for 196 yards.
Harsin threw 35 times as the Rockets were held to 53 yards rushing. He finished with 273 yards with Goble getting 172 yards on 12 receptions.
“They were putting everybody up,” Nordhues told the Lincoln Journal-Star. “I’ve got one big guy and we’re playing teams that have 10 big guys. We felt like we could pass the ball against them and we did. We just don’t have the depth we need to hang with them. I suited 30 guys tonight.”
*****
If the football God’s are watching, maybe Hastings St. Cecilia and Sutton will play one more time.
On a Tuesday. On field turf. In a cavernous stadium.
It was that good on Friday. In a grass outfield. At a baseball park on the south end of Sutton.
No. 7 Sutton 30, No. 2 Hastings St. Cecilia 23. And, we can talk forever about what Noah Johnson kid.
You’ll probably think I’m talking about his season when I mention he had 57 carries for 338 yards in the win. The Mustangs ran 71 plays. St. Cecilia only ran 31. Johnson’s rushing attempts were a state record according to Lincoln Journal-Star prep writer Ryle Jane Hambleton. Who am I to question her?
“I could play another game right now,” Johnson told us afterward. Man, here is a kid who loves football. And his teammates love to block for him.
Most of those lineman, are smaller than Johnson who is listed at 205 pounds on the roster. Kristian Stengel is 205, Kane Majors is 225, Garrett Clark anchors the line at 265 and Jered Lemkau and Garrett Stone are on the right side at 190 and 215 pounds, respectively.
“Before the game, Noah told me that if I took him out of the game for even one play he was going to be mad,” Mustang coach Steve Ramer said. “Our guys love blocking for him. They don’t care if he gets it 100 times a game.”
Or 57, either if it means beating the Bluehawks.
Johnson and the line were at their best when they needed it the most. Down 23-22 with 6:37 left, the Mustangs needed to cover 80 yards for the win. So, with everybody in Clay County knowing what was going to happen it went like this — Johnson had runs of 3, 2, 23, 2, 14, 4, 4, 2, 5, 0, 8, 2, 5 and 5 yards down to the 1-yard line.
Then sophomore quarterback Tanner Peterson snuck it in with 38 seconds left for the game winner.
It’s one we’d all like to see again. Sometime in November.
Let’s Rewind
Creighton Prep outlasts record night from BW quarterback
Millard North rallies past PL-South
Late score lifts No. 1 Gretna past Elkhorn
Wolverines still unbeaten; knock off Lincoln Christian
Norfolk Catholic blitzes Pierce
Top-ranked Stuart takes down Randolph
Parting Shot
I’m convinced that Striv Sports would not exist were it not for the town of Sutton. In May of 1998, Clay County News publisher Don Russell hired some kid from Hastings College to be his sports writer. He gave me free reign to do as I wish. The job made me love to write. The people in the town made it feel like home. They did again on Friday night.
So, I made all the trips I like to make: 109 W. Myrtle (where I lived in the basement and got engaged almost 16 years ago), the high school (they just added banners since I left), a drive down Main Street (Saunders Ave. to you hometown folks) and, of course, to the ballpark where so many baseball and football games were won and not many lost.
They do things the right way in Sutton. Please, don’t ever change. And don’t stop supporting your kids and their activities.
