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Return trip to state for Bison
OGALLALA -- The McCook Bison football team will be making a return trip to the Nebraska Class B state championship game.
The Bison fought off Ogallala 28-7 Saturday in the state semifinals in front of an estimated crowd of 2,800 fans at Ogallala, including more than 1,000 Bison faithful.
The Bison, 12-0 this season and 13-0 last year during the 2002 state championship run, will play Omaha Bishop Roncalli at 7 p.m. next Saturday for the 2003 title.
Roncalli, also 12-0 and ranked No. 1 most of the season in various polls, defeated Gretna 34-12 Saturday at Gretna.
"We played lights out tonight," said McCook football coach Jeff Gross. "Our defense played well. If anyone back in Week 1 could have told me we'd be going back to the championship game, we'd all be millionaires."
McCook scored a touchdown in each quarter, with Trent Lyons adding the extra point after each TD.
Lyons scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter, Kyle Bedore on a 7-yard run in the second, Lyons on a 9-yard run in the third and Brendan Liess on a 1-yard run in the fourth.
Ogallala's TD came on a 9-yard pass from Justin Weber to Zane Powell. Nick Morrell kicked the PAT.
The Bison offense pounded the ball on the ground for 405 yards rushing.
Bedore was a workhorse for the Bison from the fullback spot. He rushed for 192 yards on 26 carries. Lyons added 119 yards on 13 carries and Liess had 94 on 21 attempts.
Liess now has 1,605 yards rushing this season, Bedore 1,301 and Lyons 945.
Lyons completed one pass, but it was for zero yards to Bedore.
With 55 yards rushing and 82 passing next week in the state title game, Lyons could pass 1,000 yards in both categories.
Lyons has now scored 149 points this season (16 touchdowns, 32 PAT kicks and seven field goals).
Liess has scored 20 TDs and one 2-point conversion for 122 points. Bedore has scored five TDs.
"We had to control the clock," Gross said. "We felt like with their defensive scheme, we could do that. We told Kyle to be ready for 40 carries.
"We kept in the counter boot for Trent and ran some ISO (isolation) plays for Brendan."
Gross said he wanted to give the McCook offensive lineman the credit they deserved.
The main players in the O-line are Talon Darling and Trevor Bourg at the tackles, Richard Smock, Jeff Lyster, Kip Bradley and Ryan Saalfeld at the guard spots, Karl Shaddock at center and Allan Shiers and Brooks Snyder at tight end.
"I told the linemen 'you have won 11 games for us,'" Gross said. "Those seven or eight kids deserve all the credit in the world."
Ogallala dented the Bison defense for 293 total yards -- the most it has allowed in a game this season.
Weber completed 14-of-29 passes for 201 yards, . Powell caught six passes for 108 yards and Morrell four for 63.
Billy Chandler ran for 67 yards on 15 carries. Ogallala picked up 92 yards rushing.
The Bison forced one fumble and it was recovered by Bedore.
McCook did not committ any turnovers.
Jeremy Young and Lyons each made 10 tackles to pace the Bison defense. Young had three tackles for losses and Bourg 2.
Rico Quezada blocked his third kick of the season, broke up a pass and made 5 tackles.
Snyder made 8 tackles, Bourg 7 , Smock 6, Shiers 6, Derek Ruppert 4 and Lyster 4.
Ogallala finished the season with a 9-3 record, including two losses to the Bison. The Indians handed Class C1 state finalist Chase County-Imperial its only loss.
Gross said he is proud that two other Southwest Nebraska teams will be playing for state titles.
He said he has worked with Cambridge coach Don Keyser and Chase County-Imperial coach George Purnell at summer football camps.
Cambridge, which won four straight state titles in the 90s, will play Crofton for the Class C2 championship at 11 a.m. Friday.
Chase County will play Bishop Neumann at 1 p.m. Saturday for the Class C1 state title.
McCOOK 28, OGALLALA 7
| McCook (12-0) | 7 7 7 7 -- 28 |
| at Ogallala (9-3) | 0 0 0 7 -- 7 |
Scoring plays
M -- Trent Lyons 3 run (Lyons kick)
M -- Kyle Bedore 9 run (Lyons kick)
M -- Lyons 9 run (Lyons kick)
O -- Zane Powell 9 pass from Justin Weber (Nick Morrell kick)
M -- Brendan Liess 1 run (Lyons kick)
Team statistics
| McCook Ogallala | |
| First downs | 19 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 60-405 30-92 |
Passes (C-A-I) 1-2-0 14-29-0
Passing yards 0 201
Total yards 405 293
Fumbles lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 7-60 6-35
Punts-avg. 3-41.3 3-40.0
Individual stats
McCook
Rushing -- K.Bedore 26-192, Lyons 13-119, Liess 21-94.
Passing -- Lyons 1-2-0-0.
Receiving -- Bedore 1-0.
Ogallala
Rushing -- Chandler 15-67, Morrell 4-14, Powell 1-11, White 1-5, Weber 9 (minus 6).
Receiving -- Powell 6-101, Morrell 4-63, Harris 2-19, Chandler 2-18.
Passing -- Weber 14-29-0-201.
Omaha Bishop Roncalli 34, Gretna 20
GRETNA -- Nick Chandler ran 18 times for 81 yards and three touchdowns to lead Omaha Roncalli past Gretna.
Roncalli's Matt Bowers threw for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Jake Rauterkus ran an interception back 70 yards for a TD.
Gretna (11-1) was led by Brady Nolan's 97 yards on the ground. Nolan also scored a touchdown.
Nate Ortegren returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown for Gretna.