Even though his long kickoff return to open the second half was called back because of a penalty, Southwest's Jeff Seybold wouldn't be denied Friday.

The senior ripped off runs of 27 and 59 yards on the opening drive of the half and put the Silver Hawks in total control in a 35-7 win against Lincoln East before 2,317 fans at Seacrest Field.

The win puts Southwest in the Class A playoffs, where the Silver Hawks will play Millard North at Seacrest next Friday.

"I'm happy about it and that's what it's all about," Southwest coach Mark King said. "Those nine regular-season games, that's over now. It's a tournament. Sixteen teams are in it and you have to be in it to win it."

A late first-half touchdown had given Southwest some momentum, but it was Seybold's strong running that turned the tide. With LSE leading 14-0, Seybold had a 22-yard gain and capped a nine-play drive with an 8-yard run. He finished with 257 yards rushing.

Southwest extended the lead to 28-0 before East got on the board in the fourth quarter.

In the first half, both teams moved the ball but stumbled at opportune moments. East drove to the Southwest 32-yard line of its first possession only to be denied after 13 plays.

On its second possession, Southwest was called for holding three times. On its third possession, East moved to the Southwest 28 only to fumble twice and end up punting on fourth-and-40.

Southwest finally was able to take advantage late in the half. Facing a fourth-and-3, Seybold took a pitch 27 yards to the East 9. The East defense stiffened but on third-and-goal, the Spartans were called for pass interference. On the next play, Rylan Cotton lobbed a high pass to Troy Bender in the corner of the end zone with 21 seconds to play.