Jaguars Upend Wolfpack

ELGIN — Two of Nebraska’s best recent eight-man football programs met on Elgin Field Friday night. Howells/Dodge and Elgin Public-Pope John have won a slew of state championships between them. The Jaguars, befitting of their mascot, raced their way to the endzone for five first half touchdowns and went on to claim a 58 to 8 victory over the Wolfpack.
The Jaguars suited up 28 players, double the size of an injury-depleted Wolfpack squad. Their depth proved to be too much for the Wolfpack to overcome as Howells/Dodge improved their record to 3-2 on the season.
The Wolfpack defense, facing the task of stopping the Jaguars’ ground game, played well at times but fell victim to big plays. Many of the Wolfpack players continue to battle injuries. Still, to their credit, there’s no quit in the Wolfpack.
Howells-Dodge scored on their first possession of the game, then added two more touchdowns before the end of the first quarter to lead 22 to 0. Jordan Brichacek scored his team’s first two touchdowns on runs of 20 and eight yards.
Late in the first quarter the Wolfpack moved the ball into Jaguars’ territory thanks to the legs of sophomore Justin Reestman who gained 15 yards on four carries. A 13-yard completion from quarterback Conor Ramold to Liam Heithoff put the ball on the Jaguars’ 30-yard line at the end of the first quarter. The drive then stalled on the 25-yard line as the Wolfpack turned the ball over on downs.
Two plays later, Brichacek lit up the scoreboard with a 50-yard touchdown run with 8:30 left before halftime. Less than two minutes later the Jaguars were in the endzone again. The Wolfpack took the kickoff and on third & 11 from their 14-yard line, they fumbled and Lane Hegemann recovered for the Jaguars.
On the very next play, quarterback Dan VanLengen scored on a quarterback keeper, making the score 30 to 0.
Special teams accounted for the Jaguars’ final score before the half as Dylan Horejsi took a punt near midfield and returned it for a touchdown at the 4:58 mark.
The Wolfpack never recovered from the 24-point barrage in a 3 1/2 minute span. The teams traded possession before the halftime buzzer sounded.
The Jaguars, with the clock running due to the 35-point rule, burned nearly eight minutes in a 13-play drive, all on the ground, which culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run from Josh Brester.
The Wolfpack answered with nine-play, 50-yard touchdown drive of their own. Starting on their own 30-yard line, Reestman got one first down for the Wolfpack, then picked up 14 more yards on two carries to move the ball down to the Jaguars’ 26-yard line. Ramold then handed the ball to Kyle Schumacher on the next play and the sophomore picked up four tough yards.
With the ball on the 22-yard line, Reestman took a pitch and sliced through the Jaguars’ defense for a 22-yard touchdown run, much to the delight of the Wolfpack fans in the stands on Homecoming Night. Schumacher scored the two-point conversion on a pass from Ramold with 11:04 left in the game.
The Jaguars added two more touchdowns on runs by freshman Luke Rocheford to end the game.
The loss dropped the Wolfpack’s record to 0-5. Next up will be Clarkson/Leigh on Friday, Oct. 7 at Elgin Field, the last regular season home game. The Wolfpack will conclude the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Neligh-Oakdale.
Jaguars 58, Wolfpack 8
Jaguars………14  24  6  14 — 58
Wolfpack………0   0   0   8 —  8
H/D — Jordan Brichacek 20 run (Dylan Horejsi run)
H/D — Brichacek 8 run (PAT failed)
H/D — Horejsi 30 run (Brichacek run)
H/D — Dax VanLengen 4 run (Horejsi run)
N/D — Horejsi punt return (Horejsi run)
EPPJ — Hunter Reestman 22 run (Conor Ramold pass to Kyle Schumacher)
H/D — Luke Rocheford 15 run (PAT good)
H/D — Rocheford 16 run (PAT failed)
Team Stats     H/D    EPPJ
First downs      14       4
Penalties/Yds     2/15     2/10
Rushing    34/294    32/88
Passing         1/1/0    3/10/0
Passing Yds      11      18
Total Off.     305     106
Fumbles Lost       0       1
Individual statistics
Passing — Conor Ramold 3/9/0 — 18, Hunter Reestman 0/1/0 — 0. Howells/Dodge — Dax VanLengen 1/1/0 — 11
Rushing — Conor Ramold 4/-1, Joseph Bailey 2/15, Kyle Schumacher 2/-1, Cory Romej 1/3, Liam Heithoff 1/0, Hunter Reestman 22/72. Howells/Dodge Dylan Horejsi 8/11, Josh Brester 13/97
Receiving — Kyle Schumacher 1/3, Liam Heithoff 2/15. Howells/Dodge — Zach Bayer 1/11
Tackles (solo/assists) — Wolfpack — Conor Ramold 1/3, Joseph Bailey 4/0, Miles Schrage 8/6, Kyle Schumacher 7/2, Adam Dreger 1/0, Noah Knievel 1/0, Liam Heithoff 9/7, Hayes Miller 3/2, Lane Bartak 2/0, Hunter Reestman 3/2, Carter Schindler 2/0. Howells/Dodge — Zach Bayer 5/4
QB sacks — Miles Schrage 1