TOM SIMONS / For the Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, October 6, 2006 7:00 pm
Lincoln East football coach John Gingery gave his team a fourth-quarter challenge Friday night at Beechner Field — score against the wind.
The Class A No. 8 Spartans answered the challenge to stave off a Norfolk rally and claim a 35-21 win that upped their record to 6-1 overall and moved them into a second-place tie with Lincoln Northeast in District A-2 with a 2-1 record.
To answer the challenge, though, they needed a big break against a determined Panthers team.
Behind quarterback Jim Ebke, the Spartans scored four unanswered touchdowns with a 15-mph wind at their backs in the second and third quarters to take a 28-7 lead.
But Norfolk (4-3, 1-2) got the wind at its back in the fourth quarter, and the Panthers scored two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the period to close to 28-21.
Norfolk forced an East punt and was poised to get the ball back near midfield with approximately 5 minutes left in the game. The Spartans had a short punt into the wind, but Norfolk wasn’t able to field the ball. It bounced against a Panther player, and East recovered at the Norfolk 44-yard line with 4 minutes and 49 seconds to go.
Ebke picked up two first downs on running plays to get the ball to the 19, and on the next play, running back Garek Petry ran through the left side of the line into the end zone for the clinching touchdown with 1:51 left.
“I challenged our kids,” Gingery said. “I told them that if we were going to win the game, we were going to have to score into the wind. I told the offensive line that we were going to ride on their backs. They stepped up and did it and Garek made a great play on the touchdown.”
Gingery also had high praise for Ebke, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior who rushed 21 times for a game-high 72 yards and a touchdown and completed 17 of 24 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns.
“Jim Ebke played a heck of a game,” Gingery said. “People discount his throwing ability and they’re missing out on him. He’s a heck of a thrower.”
Norfolk coach Tom Olson agreed.
“We told our kids that he may be the best football player we see all year,” Olson said. “I thought we did a decent job on him against the run, but you have to pick your poison with him. You can’t stop both the run and the pass. He threw the ball awfully well tonight and his receivers made some great plays.”
Ebke distributed the ball to six different receivers, led by Ravi Mahapatra with six receptions for 82 yards, and Justin Burns with six catches for 59 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown to give East the lead for good at 14-7 late in the second quarter. Ebke also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Peterson and a 46-yard TD pass to Levi Lash, both in the third quarter.
The East quarterback’s performance overshadowed a standout performance by Norfolk quarterback Brett Shively. The 6-2, 210-pound senior completed 16 of 24 passes for 188 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown to 6-4, 250-pound tight end Austin Wells for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior Nate Olson led all receivers with eight catches for 102 yards.