By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
If the other team doesn't score, it can't win. Simple math, really. After eight quarters of football, Omaha Westside has turned to its defense in an attempt to recreate a 2006 season that found it making a run to the Class A state title game where it lost to Kearney.
Thursday night in a 22-0 victory against Lincoln Southeast, Kansas commit Tim Biere gave the Warriors all the points they would need in the first quarter. The defense got the Warriors on the scoreboard first as Biere hauled back an interception from Lincoln Southeast quarterback Griffin DePriest for a 36-yard touchdown.
The offense, led by Nebraska commit Collins Okafor and fullback Trent Goodman, took it from there. Okafor added 144 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown to a budding resume', while Goodman added 60 yards on just seven carries and also hit paydirt with a second quarter score for the Warriors.
In two games, Westside has produced 47 points while breaking in quarterback Ron Kellogg Jr., the son of a Kansas basketball star from the 1980s.
In a week 0 victory over Omaha Burke, the Warriors defense allowed just 108 yards against the Bulldogs. Southeast managed just 63 yards in the loss against Westside.
The Warriors will face Omaha Northwest and North Platte over the next two weeks. This story could get interesting, to say the least.
Brill, Antlers Work Overtime to Down Beatrice
Training 28-13 in the fourth quarter on the road, Elkhorn's Jared Brill dug deep.
Fighting cramps all evening long, Brill threw two late touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and completed another for a two-point conversion, and intercepted Beatrice quarterback Zach Ruiz on the first play of overtime as the Antlers downed Beatrice 35-28 in the season opener for both schools.
Brill found Tyler Oberembt for the second time on the night with 2:47 remaining from 33 yards out, capping a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Brill then hit Ryan Maloley, recipient of Brill's first-quarter touchdown pass of the game, with a two-point conversion to bring Elkhorn back to 28-21.
Brill finished the comeback as he completed a scoring pass to Jake Long from 10 yards with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Oberembt's point after tied the score at 28, forcing overtime.
Collin Martineau scored two plays later from on a 1-yard plunge to give Elkhorn a 35-28 lead before Brill ended proceedings with his interception.
In all, Brill threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Antlers. Ruiz added 194 through the air for the Orangemen.
Friday Night Class A and B Predictions
CLASS A
Bellevue West 38, Omaha Northwest 7
Fremont 24, Norfolk 13
#5 Kearney 35, Lincoln Northeast 20
Grand Island 27, Lincoln East 14
North Platte 28, Lincoln High 6
#1 Lincoln Southwest 35, #8 Millard West 17
#6 Millard North 49, Papillion-LaVista 28
#3 Millard South 42, Omaha Burke 7
Omaha Bryan 27, Lincoln North Star 21
Omaha Creighton Prep 28, #4 Omaha Central 23
#7 Omaha North 24, Bellevue East 12
Omaha South 17, Omaha Benson 13
#10 Papillion-LaVista South 34, Columbus 7
CLASS B
#9 Ralston 21, Blair 7
Gothenburg 15, Cozad 14
#2 Crete 27, #7 Hastings 14
Fairbury 31, Elkhorn Mount Michael 13
Lexington 14, Gering 13
Aurora 24, Grand Island Northwest 8
#10 Holdrege 28, Minden 6
#6 Omaha Gross 19, #8 Lincoln Pius X 16
Auburn 27, Nebraska City 21
Gretna 20, Firth Norris 14
Omaha Roncalli 12, Plattsmouth 9
#3 Omaha Skutt 41, Schuyler 13
#1 McCook 42, Scottsbluff 7
Seward 35, Springfield Platteview 10
Sidney 18, Wheatland (Wyo.) 7
Waverly 19, York 15
Note: Starting in Week 2, predictions will be made for all classes.