Pius X routs No. 7 Waverly

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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star

Lincoln Pius X’s football performance Friday night would’ve made John Liescheski proud.

With the memory of their teammate weighing heavily, the No. 8  Thunderbolts used a ball-control offense to rush for 254 yards en route to an emotional 34-14 victory against No. 7 Waverly before a standing-room-only crowd of 4,000 at Aldrich Field.

Liescheski, a 215-pound junior lineman, died after collapsing during a conditioning drill last May. There was a brief memorial ceremony before the game. Pius X students were wearing T-shirts bearing his No. 59. As time ran out, they began chanting “Way to go John, way to go.”

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Waverly's Jon Griebe (51) and Jordan Anderson (25) can't catch Drew Welsh (20) as he bursts through the defense during first-half action Friday. (Ted Kirk)

Waverly's Jon Griebe (51) and Jordan Anderson (25) can't catch Drew Welsh (20) as he bursts through the defense during first-half action Friday. (Ted Kirk)

“John would’ve been excited about how we played tonight, very excited,’’ said quarterback Derek Hartman, who rushed for a team-high 119 yards and three touchdowns and also passed for 78 yards and another score.

“He would’ve loved it.”

Liescheski‘s fellow linemen were certainly up to the task. Center Sam Dunbar, guards Adam Kerr and Travis O’Connell, tackles Bill Vogel and Micah Hamik and tight end Alex Jones were key in Pius X snapping 20 more plays (68-48) than the Vikings.

“They’re dedicating the season to John and it’s made a difference in their focus and effort,” Pius X coach Tim Aylward said. “It’s been a difficult time, but it’s brought them closer together as a team.’’

Hartman scored the first TD of the game on a 9-yard run with 3:44 left in the first quarter. Waverly came back to tie it 7-7 late in the period on a 2-yard run by Jerod Henry, two plays after a snap over Pius X punter DJ Dubas’ head gave the Vikings possession at the Pius X 9-yard line.

Waverly’s momentum was abruptly halted on the ensuing kickoff. Curtis Danek broke free for a 95-yard return, giving the Bolts a first-and-goal at the Waverly 2. Two plays later, Hartman sneaked in from a yard out and Pius X never looked back.

The Bolts stifled a Waverly drive midway through the second quarter when they stopped quarterback Tyler Evans for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-3 from the Pius X 14. The Bolts proceeded to drive 87 yards in 16 plays and made it 21-7 at halftime when Hartman rolled out and threw a 4-yard TD pass to Jones with 44.5 seconds left in the half.

“Those were two huge plays,” Waverly coach Mike Johnson said, referring to Danek’s kickoff return and Pius X’s second-quarter defensive stand.

“Pius was so much more emotional and a lot more aggressive than we were. We thought we’d be fine up front, but they beat us up tonight.’’

Hartman added a 4-yard TD run in the third quarter, putting himself in position to score by breaking a 38-yard run on a keeper. Hartman kept the Waverly defense off-balance by lining up in the shotgun and then running from a spread formation.

Danek completed Pius X’s scoring with a 3-yard TD run with 6:21 left in the game.

“We haven’t shown a lot of that (shotgun formation) in the past and I’m sure mixing that in with our regular offense surprised them a little,” Aylward said.

Evans, Waverly’s speedy junior quarterback, finished with a game-high 153 yards rushing on 13 carries. The Vikings actually outrushed Pius X with 260 yards, but 75 of those came on an Evans’ fourth- quarter TD sprint when Pius X led 34-7.

“With Tyler Evans, we knew we had to control the ball and keep Waverly’s offense off the field,” Aylward said. “For the most part, we did a good job of keeping him off the corner and containing him.’’

Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.