Week Nine Friday Night Lights football Heroes - Part 3

Ashland-Greenwood sophomore Bryce Kitrell (#25) went over the 1000 Yard Rushing mark against Raymond Central. Keep a close eye on this kid. *(photo courtesy of Ryan Thompson)

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert**

*Bryce Kitrell (RB) - Ashland-Greenwood - Yes, that Kitrell family. Bloodlines galore here, man. The 6-0, 175 pound sophomore took off like a 4th of July rocket with a 200 yard rushing game against Milford-Dorchester in game 5 earlier this fall, then was stuffed by Fairbury to the tune of minus 16 yards the very week. But the final three weeks of the season, the young Kitrell just exploded for the 3-6 Bluejays.

The rock solid, quick cutting Kitrell finished his sophomore season with rushing games of 183 yards vs Lincoln Christian, 167 yards against Southern and then a sparkling 196 yard effort in the season finale vs Raymond Central.

In that Ashland-Greenwood 47-21 stomping of Raymond, it took young Kitrell only 15 carries to hit that 196 yard mark. Bryce scored four times in the game on runs of 49, 10, 21 and 43 yards. He also caught 4 passes for 20 yards, made 4 tackles, punted the ball twice for 74 yards (37/per) and returned 2 punts for 18 yards.

Bryce Kitrell actually played some defense last season as a freshman until breaking his collarbone. 2017 was a way different story. The shifty, hard hitting sophomore finished this season with 1,060 rushing yards and 11 TDs. He also had 196 receiving yards, 519 yards on kick returns and 144 more on punt returns.

Kitrell concluded his sophomore season with 1,919 All-Purpose yards for a 3-6 football team. On defense, Bryce made 41 tackles and recovered two fumbles for the Bluejays.

Keep a close watch on this third Kitrell brother. The kid has a build that would make a serious weight room senior jealous with envy. He has sharp, smart moves as a running back, ran a :23.1 hundred meter dash last season as a freshman, and qualified for the State Track Meet this past May with a Discus throw of 152 feet and change.

Terrific potential, but then again, he’s a Kitrell.

*Jared Minnick (RB/LB) - West Point Guardian Angels CC - The 185 pound junior slayed the Pender Pendragons with his punishing 339 yards on 40 carries and eight touchdowns. The Bluejays used all his scoring to turn back Pender 64-50 in last week’s regular season finale. Minnick also had 6 solo tackles and an interception in the game.

Minnick finished the regular season with 1,552 yards and 30 TDs, including 577 yards and 13 scores the past two games. In his 27 game career to date, Jared has accumulated 2,951 yards and 46 touchdowns. Add in 118 career tackles and you have an incredible football talent, but then again, that’s Guardian Angels CC football for you.

The Bluejays open the Class D-1 playoffs Thursday with a rematch against Pender. Don’t you just love those? Guardian Angels CC has been awarded the No 3 seed in that Class D-1 East bracket that includes #2 seed Howells-Dodge, and top seed Creighton.

*Joseph Krause (QB) - Seward - 6-0, 185 pound junior just keeps adding big numbers to his passing game statistics. In the season closing 48-39 loss to Aurora, Krause completed 13 of 30 passes for 237 yards and three scores.

Seward missed the playoffs this season, finishing 3-6, but Krause still had a standout season for the Bluejays.

The poised junior QB was accurate on 55% of his 242 passes for a whopping 2,206 yards, 20 TDs with 9 INTs. Joseph also started running the football a bunch more the last two games of the season, and produced games of 92 yards vs York and 152 yards on 27 carries in that Aurora loss. He finished the year with 393 ground yards and 5 TDs.

Thus far, in his three years as a starting QB for Seward, Joseph Krause thrown for 3,875 yards and 34 touchdowns. Not too shabby. I watched this young man play against Elkhorn South (no fun for him) and he looked very mobile and possessed a rifle arm with very decent accuracy.

*Thad Moldenhauer (B/DB) - Wilber-Clatonia - Freeman will have bad dreams about seeing this 5-8, 145 pound sophomore waiting to field a kickoff.

In Wilber-Clatonia’s 41-27 win over the Falcons, Moldenhauer not only brought a kick back 91 yards for a touchdown, but hit the replay button and brought another one back to the house from 97 yards away.

Incidentally, that is Thad Moldenhauer’s 3rd Kick return touchdown, to go along with his 3 punt return TDs in 2017. Think he might lead all of 11-Man football in that department this season?

Between rushing, receiving, kick and punt return yards, the sophomore has 1,065 All-Purpose Yards and 9 TDs this fall. Moldenhauer also has 27 tackles on defense.

The defending Class C-2 champion Wolverines open up their title defense on Friday when they host #9 Battle Creek at 6:00. Wilber-Clatonia, who concluded the regular season at 8-1, will be seeded #8 in the 16 team Class C-2 playoff field.

*Yutan’s Defensive Front Terrible Trio + Bryland Menicucci (RB) -

Lincoln Lutheran must have had to borrow some extra hot tubs after facing these next three hombres. Colton Feist (6-3, 230), Jadyn Stuart (6-3, 280) the “shrimp” of the trio, Coe Egr (5-9, 180), just raised all kinds of problems for the Warriors, as Yutan cruised to a 35-7 victory.

Feist, the two-time All-State selection, had 7 tackles (3 for a loss), while Egr and Stuart each had 3 stops. Bryland Menicucci provided the offense for the 6-3 Chieftains with 217 yards on just 16 carries (13.6/per) and three TDs (31, 33 and 51 yards)…..all this with no carries in the 2nd half. Menicucci now has 1,147 yards in just 7 games.

12th seeded Yutan, perhaps C-2’s most dangerous playoff team, opens the playoff season Friday with a sweet matchup at #5 seed Oakland-Craig. Anytime you have a defensive player like Colton Feist on your football team, they should be considered very dangerous.

In his 39 games at Yutan, the 225 pound Feist has 333 career tackles, 38 for losses and 17 of those for sacks. Throw in 12 defended passes, 2 recovered fumbles and 3 blocked punts and you have a man flirting with Division One college football status.

***2,000 Yard Rusher Alert***

*Trent Reed (RB) - Hay Springs - Reed’s 159 yards on 16 carries (3 TDs) in the Hawks 44-34 victory over Hyannis. That lifted the talented junior star to 2,062 yards and 32 touchdowns for the season.

Reed does it all for the 6-1 Hawks. Trent not only has that 2,062 yards rushing, but leads the defense with 92 tackles. He also is an All-State caliber punter, sporting a 39.4 average per boot on 9 punts. Reed also has converted 17 of 23 PAT kicks, which are worth 2 points in 6-Man football.

Hay Springs will hit the road Friday to meet 7-1 Spalding Academy in what promises to be a top notch first round matchup.

*Chris Cassidy (RB), Pete Blumenstock (DE) - Lincoln Pius X - Cassidy, the 6-1, 220 pound Pius RB, blasted into the Omaha North middle for 109 yards on 22 carries and TD runs 3 and 27 yards in the Thunderbolts stunning 28-14 win over then #1 Omaha North.

Cassidy, the perfect Pius X mold footballer, also made 10 tackles (2 for losses) for the rock hard Bolts “D”. Pete Blumenstock, the undersized 6-0, 175 pound junior defensive end, made five tackles in the game and ended the contest with a rousing sack of North QB Houston Folgelstrom.

By the way, Blumenstock played 8-Man football for O’Neill St. Marys last year.

Anyone want to tell me a skilled 8-Man football player can’t play Class A football?

*Fullerton 32-28 Humphrey St. Francis - The Warriors shocked the unbeaten Flyers when Isaac Gleason sacked and stripped the ball from the St. Francis quarterback. Fullerton came up with the loose football and John Wetovick then scored the winning TD on a 5 yard run with 16 seconds left in the game.

Hunter Friend had two touchdowns for the 7-1 Warriors, who host Osceola (10th seed) at 7:00 in the opening round of the Class D-2 playoffs, which begin on Thursday.

*Beau Sackett (QB) - Malcolm - 5-9, 180 pound Clippers signal caller scored on runs of 1 and 59 yards in Malcolm’s 30-15 season closing win over Johnson County Central.

*Tybor Smith (RB) - Meridian - Toted the ball 38 times for 236 yards and 4 TDs in Meridian’s 66-20 blasting of Pawnee City. The 6-0, 205 pound Diller-Odell transfer scored TDs from 2, 2, 35 and 8 yards away on offense, then added a 16 yard fumble return for a score for the 5-3 Mustangs.

Smith also added 7 stops on defense. He also returns both punts and kickoffs and does the punting for Meridian. For the season, Tybor Smith has an even-steven 1,300 rushing yards and 19 TDs.

#9 seed Meridian opens the Class D-2 playoffs with a road game to face #8 seed Randolph on Thursday. Game time up there is slated for 7:00 PM.

*Alex Schreiner (WR to RB) - Lincoln Christian - Pulled off the ultimate transformation from wide receiver to running back this season for the Crusaders.

After catching 51 passes for 956 yards last year and an additional 205 through the first four outings this season, the multi-skilled Schreiner made the switch to RB in game 5 vs Milford-Dorchester and has responded with a mind-boggling 773 yards since the move. That’s 154 yards a game, folks. Pretty good for a Newbee.

Last week’s 185 yards on just 10 touches in Christian’s 54-0 rout of Southern, lifted Schreiner’s five game rushing mark to 875 yards.

The 6-3 Crusaders will be a part of the Class C-1 playoffs and travel to 8-0, #3 seed Boys Town for 7:00 meeting with the Cowboys.

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert**

Tyler Pawloski (QB) - Pleasanton - The 5-7, 145 pound, returning state wrestling champion (126 Lb Class), ran wild in the Bulldogs 69-32 win over Ansley-Litchfield. Pawloski rushed for 277 yards on just 12 carries and 4 TDs. The rock solid junior also made 19 tackles in the win.

Tyler’s big night vaulted him over the 1000 yard mark, putting him at 1,037 yards and 18 TDs for the year. Pawloski has also made 74 tackles with 13 TFL and 5 sacks for the Dogs.

Pleasanton (5-3) qualifies for the Class D-2 playoffs as the #14 seed in the West bracket and will face defending 2016 runner-up Twin Loup (#3 seed) in a Thursday matchup slated for a 6:30 kickoff in Taylor town.

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert**

*Cooper Smith (RB) - Tri-County - Rushed for a hard earned 83 yards on 19 carries and Tri-County’s only score, in the Trojans 45-7 loss to Diller-Odell. Smith’s 83 yards puts him over the 1000 yard mark this season. He ends the year with 1,034 yards and 13 touchdowns for the 1-7 Trojans. Smith was also a shining star on defense for Tri-County, recording 116 tackles in 2017.

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert**

*Daniel Libolt (RB/LB) - CWCE - Ran for 108 yards on 21 touches and scored both Renegades touchdowns from 3 and 78 yards away in CWCE’s epic win over over previously unbeaten Clearwater-Orchard. Libolt, an All-State linebacker and 1000 yard rusher as a sophomore, also had 15 tackles in the game.

For the season, the terrific Daniel Libolt has 1,030 rushing yards/18 TDs. He also has 74 tackles (34 solos, 18 TFL), two INTs, and a fumble recovery.

All in all, Daniel Libolt has 25 touchdowns this season, which include 18 rushing scores, 2 receptions for touchdowns, two Pick 6’s and 3 kick returns to the house.

The 6-2 Renegades (7th seed) open Class D-1 playoff play by hosting #10 seed Palmer (5-3). Palmer eliminated CWCE in last season’s D-1 playoffs. Game time in Chambers is set for 6:00.

**1000 Yard Rusher Alert**

*Cauy Pokorny (RB) - Sandhills-Thedford - His 127 yards on 15 carries (3 TDs) in the Knights 51-23 win over Maxwell, made Cauy a 1000 Yard Rusher. Pokorny now has 1,019 yards (16 TDs), and will lead his team into the Class D-2 playoffs.

#11 seeded Sandhills-Thedford (4-4) has an opening round road date with #6 seed Paxton (6-2). Thursday’s game time is set for 6:00 Mountain Time.