On the first play from scrimmage, Jim Ebke busted up the Grand Island game plan. Ebke, working out of the shotgun, took the snap and raced 74 yards to score for Lincoln East. The Spartans went on to earn a 35-7 victory over Grand Island Friday night at Seacrest Field before a crowd of 2,370.

The senior quarterback continued to plague the Islanders’ defense. Ebke finished with 98 yards rushing and was 8-for-15 passing for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

“That was the worst thing that could have happened right out of the chute,” said Grand Island coach Jeff Tomlin. “We know he’s going to be a great player and (is) difficult to contain. We thought we’d do a better job.

“We also didn’t anticipate them throwing the ball as well as they did. My hat’s off to them.”

Ebke said the first play went just as planned.

“We called a play right up the middle and we had Michael Yardley pulling from the right tackle position and we had about a 5-foot hole and he led right up through it,” said Ebke. “It’s pretty easy for me to get revved up when he’s in front of me.”

Later in the first quarter, Levi Lash pounced on a Grand Island fumble and Ebke took advantage, hitting Justin Burns with a 35-yard touchdown pass on the next play.

Burns set up the Spartans’ next touchdown with a 31-yard punt return. After one running play, Ebke found Lash on a 32-yard scoring toss for a 21-0 lead.

The Spartans didn’t score again in the first half — Ebke’s 28-yard field goal attempt just before halftime bounced off the left upright — and that had Ebke a bit concerned.

“We got stuck on 21 again,” he said, referring to last week’s game against Lincoln Southeast, in which East took a 21-0 first-quarter lead and then had to hold off Southeast for a 21-14 win that included an overnight suspension of the game because of lightning.

“I was a little nervous we weren’t going to get past that,” Ebke said with a smile. “Our line did an amazing job. The past two weeks, our line has gotten us the victory. It takes a lot of pressure off the backfield. All we have to do is find the holes we know are going to be there.”

The Spartans racked up 300 yards of total offense in the first half, passing for 177 and rushing for 123. East finished with 210 yards rushing and 390 total yards. Yardley plays right tackle and Jake Wolf and Jacob Hansen alternate at right tackle. Graham Thurber and Cole Weihe are the guards and Brian Olson is the center.

“People don’t think we can throw the ball, but they found out tonight that we can,” said East coach John Gingery. “Jim Ebke is not a one-dimensional player. He has a strong arm and you saw that tonight. We have good receivers and we’re not one-dimensional. You take what the defense gives you.”

Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com