By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
Just as it seemed the balance of power in Millard was shifting toward Millard South's favor, here comes Millard West.
For the second straight week, Millard West knocked off a highly-ranked team as it defeated previously top-ranked Lincoln Southwest 35-17 Friday night to remain unbeaten. In the season-opener, the Wildcats defeated Omaha Creighton Prep handily.
All three Millard schools occupy spots in the top six in this week's rankings, led by Millard South at number two.
After Lincoln Southwest running back Brandon Brown gave Southwest a 7-0 halftime lead with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, the Wildcats scored 28 third-quarter points to put the game away.
After Taylor Anglemeyer got Millard West on the scoreboard with a 34-yard run, Jake Drwal and Jesse VerVelde connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to give West the lead at 14-7. Tyler Davis brought back a fumble return 13 yards to give the Wildcats a 21-7 lead just seconds later.
Drwal, who has positioned himself as a potential All-State performer after two games, combined with VerVelde again on a 28-yard touchdown pass to cap off the third quarter scoring for Millard West.
Drwal has 12 receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns already this season for Millard West.
CLASS A
1. Omaha Westside (2-0)
Beat Lincoln Southeast, 22-0. Another shutout posted by the Warriors defense. Tim Biere picked off a Southeast pass and hauled it 36 yards for a score, while Collins Okafor added 141 rushing yards and a touchdown for Westside.
2. Millard South (2-0)
Beat Omaha Burke, 34-14. Sophomore Bronson Marsh was at it again for the Patriots, completing 14 of 18 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. Ty Kildow scored two touchdowns rushing and hauled another in from Marsh. The junior scored on runs of 41 and 59 yards on the ground before combining with Marsh on a 40-yard strike.
3. Omaha Central (2-0)
Beat Omaha Creighton Prep, 28-14. Chris Griffin's 65-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Prater in the third quarter helped put the game away for Central at Seeman Stadium in downtown Omaha. The Eagles defense held Prep quarterback Alex Hook to just four completions and 41 yards.
4. Kearney (2-0)
Beat Lincoln Northeast, 14-3. Rustin Dring scored both Kearney touchdowns as the Bearcats won on the road. Dring rushed for 166 yards on just 18 carries in the victory.
5. Millard West (2-0)
Beat Lincoln Southwest, 35-13.
6. Millard North (1-1)
Beat Papillion-LaVista, 42-10. Millard North fullback Rob Pirnie rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns as the Mustangs won handily. Nebraska commit Sean Fisher hooked up with quarterback Nick Failla on a 96-yard touchdown pass for the Mustangs.
7. Lincoln Southwest (1-1)
Lost to Millard West, 35-17.
8. Omaha North (1-1)
Beat Bellevue East, 21-7. Brenton Bradford rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown to spark the Vikings in the victory. Tyler Beene rushed for a touchdown and threw for another to pace North.
9. Grand Island (2-0)
Beat Lincoln East, 16-13. Grand Island quarterback Mike Lorenz scored on a 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the Islanders a narrow victory.
10. Bellevue West (2-0)
Beat Omaha Northwest, 56-10. Junior quarterback Tyler Seals threw for two touchdowns pass to lead the Thunderbirds, who piled up 529 total yards in the victory.
Team to Watch: North Platte (2-0)
Beat Lincoln High, 35-0 Joel Woodhead scored three touchdowns for the Bulldogs and rushed for 125 yards in the victory over the Links.
Dropped Out: Papillion-LaVista South (1-1)
Lost to Columbus, 28-17. Michael Burrus, the leading rusher in Class A, went for 160 yards in a losing effort on the road. Burrus added a 69-yard touchdown run.
CLASS B
1. McCook (1-0) 1
2. Crete (2-0) 2
3. Omaha Skutt (1-0) 3
4. Elkhorn (1-0) 4
5. Omaha Gross (1-0) 6
6. Beatrice (0-1) 5
7. Ralston (1-0) 9
8. Fairbury (2-0) NR
9. Aurora (2-0) NR
10. Holdrege (1-0) 10
Dropped Out: Hastings (0-1) 7, Lincoln Pius X (0-1) 8
Team to Watch: Seward (1-1)
Class B Quick Hits
ú Surprise, surprise. McCook kicks off the 2007 season with a shutout of Scottsbluff. In the 44-0 victory, junior Matt Berry rushed for three touchdowns. It marks the fifth time in six years that McCook shut out Scottsbluff.
ú Fairbury's Lee Horky had another stellar performance through the air for the Jeffs. Horky, a junior quarterback, threw for 290 yards and five touchdowns. In two games, Horky has 612 yards passing and 10 touchdowns already this season.
ú Seward scored 21 first quarter points en route to a 35-6 victory over Springfield Platteview.
ú Third-ranked Omaha Skutt got an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Nick Anderson as the Skyhawks rolled 42-6 over Schuyler.
ú Crete's Cody Wockenfuss scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals in a 21-0 statement victory over Hastings. The Cardinal defense held Hastings to 116 total yards in the victory.
ú Brandon Winkleman and John Dostal each scored a pair of touchdowns to give fifth-ranked Omaha Gross a 28-14 victory over Lincoln Pius X.
CLASS C-1
1. Hastings St. Cecilia (1-0) 1
2. Auburn (1-0) 2
3. Norfolk Catholic (1-0) 3
4. Pierce (1-0) 4
5. Chadron (1-0) 5
6. Wahoo Bishop Neumann (1-0) 6
7. Boys Town (1-0) 7
8. Boone Central (1-0) 9
9. Valentine (1-0) NR
10. Hastings Adams Central (1-0) NR
Team To Watch: Columbus Scotus (1-0)
Dropped Out: Chase County (0-1), Columbus Lakeview (0-1)
Class C-1 Quick Hits
ú Top-ranked Hastings St. Cecilia scored nine rushing touchdowns in its 63-0 victory over Centura. Justin Small led the onslaught with 145 yards and two touchdowns.
ú K.D. McCoy led seventh-ranked Boys Town to a 26-0 victory over West Point-Beemer. McCoy rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys held West Point-Beemer to -13 yards rushing in the victory.
ú Despite 174 yards rushing from Kaleb Christiansen, Columbus Lakeview fell short in a 14-7 loss to eighth-ranked Boone Central. Ryan Shotkoski and Brent Dawson scored for Boone Central.
ú Columbus Scotus got 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Billy Kurtenbach in a mild upset over David City Aquinas, 48-26. Aquinas was ranked in the preseason in Class C-2.
CLASS C-2
1. Howells (2-0) 1
2. Wakefield (1-0) 2
3. Fremont Archbishop Bergan (1-0) 3
4. East Butler (1-0) 4
5. Perkins County (2-0) 5
6. Laurel-Concord (1-0) 6
7. Creighton (1-0) NR
8. West Point Central Catholic (1-0) 10
9. Kearney Catholic (1-0) NR
10. Cambridge (1-0) NR
Dropped Out: Oakland-Craig (0-1) 7, Stanton (0-1) 8, David City Aquinas (0-1) 9
Class C-2 Quick Hits
ú Howells struggled with Burwell in a 16-13 victory.
ú East Butler got off to a good start to the campaign with an 18-15 victory over Malcolm. Jordan Makovicka rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown to lead the way for East Butler.
ú Cambridge's Lance Shifflet rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-3 victory over Southern Valley.
ú Perkins County moved to 2-0 on the young season with a dramatic 22-21 victory over ratings-contender Chase County. Perkins County's Curt Softley scored on a 49-yard run in the fourth quarter to erase a 21-14 deficit. Perkins County converted a two-point conversion for the victory.
ú Kearney Catholic's Justin Brown and Darius Smith kick started a 55-0 onslaught over Sandy Creek. Brown returned a blocked punt 20 yards for a score before Smith returned an interception for a touchdown. The Stars rushed for 304 yards in the victory.
ú Creighton's Adam Fuchtman rushed for 130 yards including an 83-yard run and added a score through the air in a 20-18 victory over Stanton.
Eight-Man
1. Clarkson (1-0)
2. Dodge (1-0)
3. Humphrey St. Francis (1-0)
4. Overton (1-0)
5. High Plains (1-0)
6. West Boyd (1-0)
7. Chambers (1-0)
8. Bancroft-Rosalie (1-0)
9. Pleasanton (1-0)
10. Elwood (1-0)
Scott Hansen: maxprepsok@sbcglobal.net
Coming Thursday: Week 2 Predictions from All Classes
