Huskies growling to trade hits with Bison off big win

McCook seniors (from left) Ethan Schmidt, Andrew Pochop and Quentin Terry will be leading the Bison into their 2024 Weiland Field debut against Aurora Friday night. The Bison are hot off a 56-6 road beatdown of Beatrice last weekend.

Maryann Kassner/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — One team won by 50 points while the other allowed 501 total yards and a 75-percent pass completion rate last week.

That’s why numbers rarely tell the entire game story, baby!

Because when the McCook Bison tangle with Aurora Huskies at Weiland Field Friday night, go ahead and BOOK-er one clear fact:

It’s likely going to be one Schierman of a beast fight!

‘This is your traditional Aurora football team — very disciplined and exceptional players at the skill positions,” McCook coach Joe Vetrovsky said about the first McCook-Aurora football meeting since 2021. “They’ll be as innovative on offense as we see all season.”

Aurora’s most famous name in recent memory goes beyond the football field. Final Four-caliber basketball players from coast to coast knew about Creighton sharpshooter and Aurora High alum Baylor Schierman these last two seasons.

Now it’s 6’7” junior Booker Schierman triggering the Aurora football attack which matched Pierce score for score last week until 13 late Bluejay points secured a 41-28 win.

“He (Schierman) is an impressive player with a strong arm who can make all the throws,” Vetrovsky observed. “They have also incorporated him into the run game this year, which makes him even more dangerous.”

Vetro expects Booker to read defenses while looking for 6’3” “favorite receiver” Vendell Juzyk, a senior wearing No. 5.

The Huskies (0-1) totaled 375 yards last week with an offensive front of three seniors, three juniors (counting tight end) who range from 210 to 245 pounds.

“They’re breaking in some new offensive linemen that definitely on film have talent,” Vetrovsky observed. “Aurora’s offense will challenge us at all levels of our defense.”

That’s ok, because the Bison seem ready for a bigger challenge than last week’s 56-6 win at Beatrice.

Remember, it was 35-0 before the Orangemen recorded a first down. They only scored on one late 70-yard pass vs. Bison reserves with just minutes remaining on a “mercy rule” running clock.

Seniors Quentin Terry, Davien Hanson and Andrew Pochop were dominant whether working inside the trenches or “out on an edge.”

Junior Gabe Roberts was one of McCook’s top returning linebackers, but who knew junior Kalen McCorkle would return from injuries to a top tackler Friday night?

Plus the Bison have their own 6’7” impressive force in junior linebacker Oliver Corbett.

“Oliver seemed to be on almost every tackle it seemed like,” Vetrovsky said about last week’s Bison return to Class B football. “Kalen in his first game back after a couple of years did a great job.”

Plus Aurora better look out for a new swooping Bison ball hawk: sophomore cornerback Ty Junker.

Junker picked off two Orangemen passes last week. He returned one 21 yards to his first varsity touchdown, then showed 6’3” receivers probably can’t stop him on that second leaping pick inside McCook’s 20,

Remember, Junker scooped a fumble and took that to an unofficial six points during McCook’s first pre-season scrimmage on Aug. 17.

Junker joins three Bison who scored five more touchdowns last week — juniors Mile Pollmann (two TDs), Tristan Campbell (two) and senior Ethan Schmidt (one) in forming the Bison secondary aiming to blanket all of Booker’s best targets.

“We have to find ways to get them off schedule if we expect to have a chance at being successful,” Vetrovsky concluded about the Bison ‘D’.

In other words, there’s no way McCook is taking a 2-0 start for granted before next week’s big challenge at Class B pre-season No. 2 Waverly.

Aurora brought a Class C-1 No. 2 ranking against Pierce.

Plus the Huskies have won three straight over McCook going back to their 2016 season opener at Weiland Field.

Defensively, the Huskies unleash senior inside linebackers Keegan Chaney and Collin Stople in their quest of cooling McCook’s red-hot start.

The Bison blasted past 300 yards rushing just like Pierce last week.

Campbell ran wild for 192 while sophomore reserve Grady Miller nearly hit that the “century mark” with 97.

Junior Trenton Raile dropped an absolutely perfect pass into Pollmann on a 52-yard, second-quarter Bison TD last week.

M.P. pulled down an earlier 21-yard throw, plus Schmidt took one clutch third-down pass nearly 40 yards down the sideline. Yet every Bison knows a far growlier test awaits Friday night.

The seasons so far:

McCOOK (1-0)

Sept. 20 Crete (0-1) 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 At Gering (1-0) 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 Hastings (0-1) 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 Ogallala (0-1) 6 p.m.

Oct. 18 At Scottsbluff (1-0) 8 p.m.

Oct. 25 Lexington (0-1) 7 p.m.

AURORA (0-1)

Sept. 13 Wahoo (1-0) 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 At Columbus Scotus (1-0) 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 Grand Island Northwest (0-1) TBA

Oct. 4 Hastings Adams Central (0-1) TBA

Oct. 11 At Lincoln Christian (1-0) 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 Milford (1-0) TBA

Oct. 25 At Central City (1-0) TBA

Schedule notes: Don’t be fooled with seven of McCook’s nine opponents losing their first games last weekend. Aurora ran into Class C-1 perennial powerhouse Pierce while Waverly kicked off against Bennington and its nearly 40-game Class B unbeaten streak. Hastings dropped a close 17-14 contest at York.