On Thursday, January 24th, MaxPreps and the Army National Guard were on-site at a packed house during a Pierce basketball game to present the MaxPreps Tour of Champions National Ranking Trophy.
After losing the 2006 championship game, 21-12, to Crofton, Pierce struggled in the championship once again in 2007 but found a way to win. The Bluejays trailed Bishop Neumann of Wahoo, 28-7, with five minutes left in the third quarter. But they rallied to tie the game with two minutes remaining in regulation.
Following a defensive stop in the overtime session, Pierce scored on a 10-yard toss sweep by Aron Eddy to win the Nebraska Class C-1 state championship. The championship was Pierce’s first since 1978 and the school has finished runner-up on four occasions. Pierce is one of 30 high schools nationwide being honored in the MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard.
“It’s a unique honor. We’ve never heard of anyone from Nebraska bestowed with this honor,” said Mark Brahmer, who completed his 12th season as the Bluejays head coach. “It’s been a neat thing to follow – not only in the state. Our people take great pride in our accomplishments and we’d like to thank MaxPreps.”
Operating out of the I-formation, Pierce set a state Class C-1 record for points scored in a single season with 624, an average of 48 points per game. The Bluejays soared over the 50-point mark three times and tallied a season-high 88 in a drubbing of Twin River of Genoa.
On behalf of the school, Coach Brahmer was presented with an 18-inch bronze statue on a wood block base from Nebraska Army National Guard Sergeant Justin Olson during halftime of the boys’ varsity basketball game.
I had an outstanding time at Pierce High School this year for the MaxPreps Trophy Presentation. I wish Coach Brahmer the best of luck in upcoming seasons and we hope to one day be back to do it again. Fly BlueJays Fly!
