EPPJ to open postseason at Humphrey St. Francis tonight

By Dennis Morgan
Co-Publisher
Absent from the state football playoffs for three years, the Wolfpack return to postseason play, having earned a berth in the Class D2 State Footballl Playoffs.
The Wolfpack, posting a 2-6 record, will face top-seeded Humphrey St. Francis Halloween Night. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Humphrey.
Playoff pairings were announced Saturday morning by the Nebraska School Activities Association.
The Wolfpack, playing their best football of the season, wrapped up the regular season with a 42 to 22 victory over Osmond.
Reaching the state playoffs was a goal for the Wolfpack before the start of the season. In addition to Osmond, the Wolfpack defeated Winside.
Head Coach Randy Eisenhauer and the Wolfpack players are familiar with Humphrey St. Francis. On Friday, Oct. 11, at Elgin Field, the Flyers shutout the Wolfpack 66 to 0.
The Flyers limited EPPJ to just 126 yards of total offense in the game. EPPJ was victimized by turnovers as they had six in the game.
EPPJ will have to limit turnovers and try to find a way to stop the potent Flyers’ offense which averaged more than 62 points per game and shutout five of eight opponents during the season.
The Wolfpack have faced good teams all season long. Five of the eight teams on the schedule this season qualified for the state playoffs. In addition to the Flyers, other teams earning postseason berths were Plainview, Riverside, Central Valley and Chambers/Wheeler Central – Ewing (CWCE).
The last time the Wolfpack were in the state playoffs was 2015 when, competing in Class D1, they reached the quarterfinal round where they fell to Clearwater/Orchard 42 to 28.
Admission to Thursday’s playoff game is $7 for adults and $5 for students. For those not able to attend the game, it will be broadcast on 97.5 KEXL out of Norfolk
The winner of Thursday night’s game will advance to the round of 16 where they will face the winner of Allen vs. Lawrence-Nelson.
The game will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Renegades in playoffs
CWCE also qualified for the state football playoffs. They, too, will be play Thursday. The Renegades will play at Overton.
Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 5 p.m.