Adjustments pay off for Aurora in win over McCook

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By Brian Reetz / For the Lincoln Journal-Star

AURORA — Aurora coach Randy Huebert brought an aggressive game plan into his team’s Class B semifinal playoff game against McCook, and it paid off with a trip to the state championship game.

Senior quarterback Tyler McDonald followed the push of the middle of his big offensive line for the game-winning touchdown with one minute and 28 seconds left Saturday as the Huskies knocked off the previously undefeated Bison 37-33.

“This is huge for our program,” said Huebert, whose team had lost to the Bison 42-7 earlier in the season and advanced to its first state title game in 13 years.

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“We knew after the first game (against McCook) we had to change as a coaching staff and as a team in order to compete at this level and beat McCook.

“From that next morning we started making changes, and it’s paid off,” Huebert said. “We feel like we have a good, stable program, and we have a great community, with great support. I think we have a great group of kids that represent our community well.”

Aurora had cut McCook’s lead to 33-31 with five minutes to play.    Huebert then chose to try an onside kick. The Huskies’ Chris Sullivan recovered the ball, but Aurora was called for touching the ball too early, giving the Bison the ball  at the Aurora 48-yard line.

“We just had a tough time stopping them,” Huebert said  of the Bison, who had scored on all three of their previous possessions in the second half and five of six possessions in the game.

“We thought we just needed to get the ball back because our offense was moving the ball. We went for it and that was the kind of game plan we wanted. We wanted to take the game to them.”

The Huskies’ aggressiveness paid off. On third-and-8 from the 46, McCook quarterback Matt Berry was stripped of the ball and Aurora’s Anthony Baldwin recovered, setting up the winning eight-play, 55-yard drive. A key play in the drive was a hurdling run by  Nate Suck, who finished with 90 yards, running the ball to the McCook 5. McDonald scored his third rushing touchdown two plays later to put Aurora ahead for good.

“Our offensive line, those five fellas up there, just blocked great all night and really opened things up,” Huebert said.

Aurora’s Jerry Lobeda added 87 yards on the ground, in addition   to 135 yards receiving.

McCook drove the ball into Aurora territory in the final minute, but a sack and then three straight incompletions sealed the win for the Huskies, who improved to 11-1.

McDonald led Aurora with 201 yards passing and a touchdown. He added another 58 yards on the ground.

“McDonald just had a super game,” Huebert said. “Running the ball and throwing the ball. His poise was just tremendous.”

Despite the loss, Berry had a prolific game for the Bison, who finish the season 11-1. He rushed for four touchdowns and 181 yards, and threw for 134 yards and another TD.

“Berry is just a tremendous athlete and a class act out there,” Huebert said. “They have a great program and you have to give them a lot of credit. He’s just so versatile. He can throw, run and he can really scramble. We just had to keep playing hard and keep fighting.”