#1 BRLD holds off late Norfolk Catholic rally to win 4th straight
The Wolverines racked up over 500 yards of offense to send Norfolk Catholic to an 0-4 start.
By News Channel NebraskaNORFOLK - With last year's 49-14 loss to Norfolk Catholic in mind, BRLD's theme this week was to "finish the job."
It was hard work...but the job got done.
Class C2's top-ranked team held off a furious late-game charge from Norfolk Catholic for a 40-32 road win.
The Knights played like a team desperate to shake off the vibes of their 0-3 start, and played their best offensive game of the season by far. The Knights racked up 333 yards and saw junior quarterback Cayden Cunningham - forced into a full-time starting role because of an injury to senior Nate Brungardt - pass for four touchdowns.
But in a game that saw 72 points and over 800 yards of total offense, it was - ironically - a defensive play that may have swung the game.
Trailing 18-17 on the opening drive of the second half, the Knights had a 4th and goal inside the one-yard line, only to see BRLD defensive end Jaxon Johnson break through the offensive line and drop fullback Wyatt Smydra for a four-yard loss. The Wolverines would score the next 14 points.
BRLD finished with 509 yards of offense, eclipsing the 500-yard mark for the second straight week.
BRLD (4-0) opens district play next week at #8 Yutan, while Norfolk Catholic (0-4) begins their district season on the road against Crofton.
SCORING SUMMARY
BRLD - 12 6 14 6 - 40
NORFOLK CATHOLIC - 7 10 0 15 - 32
1ST QUARTER
8:15 - Kobe Lyons (BRLD) 3-yd TD run (2-pt conversion no good)
4:01 - Kobe Lyons (BRLD) 1-yd TD run (2-pt conversion no good)
0:11 - Cayden Cunningham (NC) 8-yd TD pass to Alex Lammers (XP good)
2ND QUARTER
9:49 - Will Gatzemeyer (BRLD) 41-yd TD pass to Lucas Vogt (2-pt conversion no good)
6:55 - Cayden Cunningham (NC) 31-yd TD pass to Tristen Schlecht (XP good)
1:01 - Riley Carlson (NC) 35-yd FG
3RD QUARTER
6:16 - Will Gatzemeyer (BRLD) 22-yd TD pass to Dylan Beutler (2-pt conversion no good)
0:55 - Will Gatzemeyer (BRLD) 1-yd TD run (2-pt conversion good)
4TH QUARTER
6:51 - Cayden Cunningham (NC) 36-yd TD pass to Wyatt Smydra (XP good)
2:48 - Will Gatzemeyer (BRLD) 24-yd TD pass to Lucas Vogt (2-pt conversion good)
0:58 - Cayden Cunningham (NC) 8-yd TD pass to Alex Lammers (2-pt conversion good)
GAME STATE
BRLD
RUSHING
Will Gatzemeyer - 24 carries, 123 yds, 1 TD
Kobe Lyons - 17 carries, 63 yds, 2 TD
Luke Ronnfeldt - 2 carries, 0 yds
PASSING
Will Gatzemeyer - 16-of-24, 313 yds, 3 TD's, 0 INT
RECEIVING
Lucas Vogt - 8 rec, 168 yds, 2 TD
Jaxon Johnson - 4 rec, 110 yds
Dylan Beutler - 3 rec, 33 yds, 1 TD
Caden Hanson - 1 rec, 2 yds
DEFENSIVE
Jaxon Johnson - 3 sacks
Derek Petersen - 1 sack
Luke Ronnfeldt - 1 sack
NORFOLK CATHOLIC
RUSHING
Jackson Clausen - 14 carries, 82 yds
Tristen Schlecht - 6 carries, 21 yds
Jeremy Dreher - 2 carries, 21 yds
Cameron Bettenhausen - 3 carries, 9 yds
Wyatt Smydra - 3 carries, 7 yds
Cayden Cunningham - 8 carries, 6 yds
Preston Eisenmenger - 1 carry, 1 yd
PASSING
Cayden Cunningham - 12-for-20, 186 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT
Alex Prim - 0-for-1
RECEIVING
Brennen Kelley - 4 rec, 63 yds
Alex Lammers - 4 rec, 37 yds, 2 TD
Wyatt Smydra - 1 rec, 36 yds, 1 TD
Tristen Schlecht - 1 rec, 31 yds, 1 TD
Jackson Clausen - 1 rec, 16 yds
Cameron Bettenhausen - 1 rec, 9 yds