Warriors Take Down Wolfpack To Finish Perfect At Home

On Parent's Night in Neligh, the Warriors went head-to-head with Elgin Public/Pope John in an all-Antelope County battle with Neligh-Oakdale coming out on top 47-6.

The Warriors controlled the game from the opening kickoff, which Chris Bentley returned to the Wolfpack one-yard line to set up a Andrew Herley touchdown. On their next possession, the linemen got in on the scoring action when Grant White hit guard Damon Arehart for a touchdown to push the lead to 14-0. Arehart wasn't the only lineman to score for Neligh-Oakdale, as Nate Buck recovered a Chad Bode fumble and returned it to the endzone for a touchdown.

Going into the second quarter up 21-0, Neligh-Oakdale came out firing, with White hitting Chris Bentley down the middle for a 55-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the quarter. Hunter Charf then came in at quarterback for the Warriors to hit Tyson Belitz on a screen play that Belitz took in for another Warrior score, extending the lead to 35-0. Soon after, Chris Bentley jumped a Conor Ramold pass and returned it to the end zone. The extra point was no good and Neligh-Oakdale took a 41-0 lead into the half.

The scoring toned down greatly in the second half, with both defenses holding strong. For Neligh-Oakdale, their final score came when Clayton Anderson, usually a lineman as well, lined up at fullback and took the ball four yards up the middle for a score. 

The Warriors looked to have the shutout in hand until Hunter Reestman broke free for a 65-yard rushing touchdown with just eight second left on the clock to give the Wolfpack their only score of the day.

Ramold had a solid night at quarterback, completing eight of his 11 passing attempts. However, those eight completions were good for just 52 yards. Ramold's primary target on the night was Kyle Schumacher who hauled in three catches for 39 yards.

Reestman was the leading rusher for the Wolfpack on the night, carrying six times for 65 yards. Bode, however, was the workhorse, carrying 24 times for 57 yards. 

Defensively, Liam Heithoff and Miles Schrage led the Wolfpack with 12 and 10 tackles, respectively. Schrage also accounted for three sacks while Heithoff recorded a sack of his own.

White and Charf combined to go 10 of 14 for 127 yards and three scores on the night. The top target on the night was Bentley, who accounted for three grabs for 59 yards and a touchdown. Belitz also had three catches, his for 31 yards.

Defensively, Belitz's 13 tackles led the Warriors. Buck and Tucker Knust each accounted for a sack on the night. 

With the loss, Elgin Public/Pope John ends their season at 0-8. For Neligh-Oakdale, they will wrap up the season next week when they take on Humphrey/Holy Family in hopes of finishing 8-0.