Bolts get job done against Omaha Gross
OMAHA — If Curtis Danek was sore after his workload Friday, he didn’t act like it while heading out of Bryan Stadium.
“I feel great,” the Lincoln Pius X senior I-back said after a 33-carry, 164-yard effort. “I could run 33 more if I had to. It was awesome.”
The fourth-ranked Thunderbolts needed every yard during a 15-14 comeback victory against No. 3 Omaha Gross in a Class B showdown. The 150-pound Danek scored the game-winning points on a 1-yard run with 7 minutes, 7 seconds left.
“I was really proud of our offensive line,” said Pius X coach Tim Aylward, whose team rushed for 269 yards on 59 attempts. “We simplified our blocking scheme and ran straight at them.”
Gross nearly ran Pius X (5-1) off the field early. The Cougars (5-1) used a 40-yard Joey Waller fumble recovery and 13-yard run by Nebraska recruit C.J. Zimmerer to take a 14-0 lead with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
Then, the Pius X defense took over.
Gross only had 64 yards and three first downs in the final 36 minutes to finish with 123 yards. Zimmerer came into the game averaging 145.8 rushing yards per game.
“Our defense really did a nice job,” Aylward said. “We withstood some charges. The guys, when they needed to, made some big plays. Overall, it was just a great effort.”
Junior Jacob Ramsay capped the final three Pius X first-half drives with 30-, 40- and 30-yard field goals. The Thunderbolts started their final drive before halftime at the Gross 34-yard line with 1:09 left after they stopped Zimmerer on a fourth-down run.
“I probably wouldn’t go for it on fourth down,” Gross coach Tim Johnk said of that momentum-changing drive. “They guessed right on the play. Sometimes you guess right, and sometimes you guess wrong.”
Quarterback Derek Hartman’s 5-yard run on fourth down set up Ramsay’s kick with 13 seconds left, which cut the Gross lead to 14-9.
“That gave us a boost,” Aylward said. “The guys were positive and upbeat at halftime.”
Pius X again took advantage of field position early in the fourth quarter. The Thunderbolts started their winning drive at the Gross 25 with 10:22 left.
Hartman, who rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries, had a 7-yard run on fourth down to move the ball to the 1. Danek scored two plays later.
“We were just making mistakes,” Danek said. “We had to pick it up. We got the job done when we had to.”
Gross punted and pinned Pius X at its 1 with 4:42 left. The Thunderbolts responded with 53 rushing yards to run out the clock.
“We have nothing to hang our head about,” Johnk said. “That was a really good football game against a really good football team.”
“I feel great,” the Lincoln Pius X senior I-back said after a 33-carry, 164-yard effort. “I could run 33 more if I had to. It was awesome.”
The fourth-ranked Thunderbolts needed every yard during a 15-14 comeback victory against No. 3 Omaha Gross in a Class B showdown. The 150-pound Danek scored the game-winning points on a 1-yard run with 7 minutes, 7 seconds left.
“I was really proud of our offensive line,” said Pius X coach Tim Aylward, whose team rushed for 269 yards on 59 attempts. “We simplified our blocking scheme and ran straight at them.”
Gross nearly ran Pius X (5-1) off the field early. The Cougars (5-1) used a 40-yard Joey Waller fumble recovery and 13-yard run by Nebraska recruit C.J. Zimmerer to take a 14-0 lead with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
Then, the Pius X defense took over.
Gross only had 64 yards and three first downs in the final 36 minutes to finish with 123 yards. Zimmerer came into the game averaging 145.8 rushing yards per game.
“Our defense really did a nice job,” Aylward said. “We withstood some charges. The guys, when they needed to, made some big plays. Overall, it was just a great effort.”
Junior Jacob Ramsay capped the final three Pius X first-half drives with 30-, 40- and 30-yard field goals. The Thunderbolts started their final drive before halftime at the Gross 34-yard line with 1:09 left after they stopped Zimmerer on a fourth-down run.
“I probably wouldn’t go for it on fourth down,” Gross coach Tim Johnk said of that momentum-changing drive. “They guessed right on the play. Sometimes you guess right, and sometimes you guess wrong.”
Quarterback Derek Hartman’s 5-yard run on fourth down set up Ramsay’s kick with 13 seconds left, which cut the Gross lead to 14-9.
“That gave us a boost,” Aylward said. “The guys were positive and upbeat at halftime.”
Pius X again took advantage of field position early in the fourth quarter. The Thunderbolts started their winning drive at the Gross 25 with 10:22 left.
Hartman, who rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries, had a 7-yard run on fourth down to move the ball to the 1. Danek scored two plays later.
“We were just making mistakes,” Danek said. “We had to pick it up. We got the job done when we had to.”
Gross punted and pinned Pius X at its 1 with 4:42 left. The Thunderbolts responded with 53 rushing yards to run out the clock.
“We have nothing to hang our head about,” Johnk said. “That was a really good football game against a really good football team.”
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