Class D-2 Final: Ewing races past Humphrey SF

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By KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

There’s a lot of pressure when you play sports in Nebraska’s Title Town.

The Ewing boys won the state D-2 basketball title in 2006. The girls won the state basketball titles in 2006 and 2007 and the girls won the state volleyball crown last week.

“Our girls took home state last week and we had to come out here and put on our own show for our town,” said Ewing quarterback Brett Kaczor. “There was no way we were going to let them brag us up.”

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The Ewing Tigers celebrate in Memorial Stadium after defeating Humphrey St. Francis to capture the Class D-2 state football title Thursday. (Eric Gregory)

The Ewing Tigers celebrate in Memorial Stadium after defeating Humphrey St. Francis to capture the Class D-2 state football title Thursday. (Eric Gregory)

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D-2 finals: Ewing 49, Humphrey SF 24

Highlights of Ewing's 49-24 victory over Humphrey St. Francis in the Class D-2 championship game at Memorial Stadium. (Hilary Kindschuh/JournalSt...

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Kaczor made sure of that.

He threw for three touchdowns, ran for three more and led the Tigers with 17 tackles in a 49-24 victory over previously unbeaten Humphrey St. Francis in the Class D-2 eight-man football championship game Thursday at Memorial Stadium.

Kaczor’s first touchdown pass, on fourth-and-3, was almost a game-clincher.

Kaczor scrambled away from the St. Francis pass rush to his right, looked downfield, and threw a 5-yard strike to his cousin, Austin Kaczor, to put Ewing ahead 12-0.

“Sure it looked like trouble, but he’s been making the right decisions as our quarterback for three years and I figured he’d find something,” said Ewing coach Brock Eichelberger. “He almost always does the right thing. He’s only thrown two interceptions in two years.”

Kazcor, who passed for 160 yards and ran for 117, then hit Austin Kaczor on a 51-yard touchdown to give Ewing a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

“We had a bad first quarter,” said Humphrey St. Francis coach Eric Kessler. “They stuffed us and came up with plays that we had no answer for.”

Ewing’s defense stopped St. Francis on fourth-and-3 at the Ewing 8-yard line before the long touchdown pass from Kaczor to Kaczor. The Tiger defense stopped the Flyers on fourth-down tries four more times and held St. Francis’ leading rusher Matt Korus to 107 yards.

Brett Kaczor, said the Ewing defense was the catalyst.

“We have so many weapons  on offense and the offense gets all the attention,” he said. “But defense is what we practice what we all take a lot of pride in. That’s where this team fights.”

Austin Kaczor and Chad Rokahr each finished with 11 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

“That defensive front is big and strong and their linebackers flow to the ball,” said Kessler. “We moved the ball at times, but their defense was a big difference in this game.”

The Ewing coaching staff preach defense all the time, said Eichelberger. “We talk about tackling technique. We talk about getting lower than the other guy on the line. The kids fly to the ball and  I think they believe in the defense as much as we coaches do.”

That’s a good combination with an offense that scored 20 points more than any other team managed against the Flyers this season.

“I think it helped us all feel pretty good about things when we stopped St. Francis on fourth down all those times,” said Rokahr. “You know practicing submarine dives against the line is no fun. But it works.”

Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.