Badgers book third-straight trip to Lincoln with win over Wolves

BENNINGTON — The Bennington football team’s semifinal win on Friday against Elkhorn North made history in the state of Nebraska. The 30-6 victory tied the Class B record for consecutive wins with 38 (McCook 2002-04) and more importantly punched a ticket to the Badgers’ third consecutive Class B State Championship game.

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“We took the game like we take every other game,” Bennington senior Jimmy Miller stated. “We practice every day with the intent of coming out on Fridays and winning and that’s what we did tonight. Our skill positions put our linemen in a great spot to succeed and our defense for the past three years has always put us in a great spot to win. I appreciate that and I love playing with these guys.”

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After giving up a touchdown on Elkhorn North’s opening drive, Bennington scored 30 unanswered points. After giving up 77 yards on Elkhorn North's first drive, the Badger defense allowed just 40 yards of total offense from the Wolves the remainder of the game.

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“Elkhorn North is a great team,” Bennington junior Gavin Olson commented. “They started off fast and that woke us. We’re a great defense and we showed that tonight.”

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Elkhorn North began the game with a big play. Johnny Ferguson hit Jase Reynolds for a 36-yard gain. Five plays later, Jett Tingelhoff broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run to put the Wolves ahead 6-0.

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After exchanging three-and-outs, Bennington got its offense going. The Badgers used a 10-play, 81-yard drive to knot the game at six thanks to a Quinton Archer 6-yard TD run.

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The defenses bowed up and kept the game tied until late in the second quarter. Bennington once again used a long, methodical drive to find the end zone as Archer concluded the drive with a 6-yard scoring run.

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After a Wolf three-and-out, the Badgers used a trio of big plays to push their lead to 20-6. Facing third-and-one from its own 17 with under two minutes remaining in the half, Archer broke off runs of 9 yards and 26 yards to reach midfield. Peyton Sanmann then found KJ Taffa for a 32-yard strike, then the senior gunslinger connected on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Elliott Andersen.

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“Coach (Kam) Lenhart talks about getting together and calls it ‘Getting centered,’,” Miller noted. “We take deep breaths, close our eyes and focus on the next play. It really helped us after taking a hit like that from Elkhorn North to start. Being able to get together, ‘Get centered’ and and explode off the ball was perfect.”

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The Bennington defense was gifted a fumble after Ben Gilliland stripped the ball from Ferguson and Jack Jansen pounced on the loose pigskin. 

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The Badgers converted the turnover into a 25-yard Evan Utech field goal to take a 23-6 edge into the break.

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“It was a huge momentum change,” Olson recalled. “They were trying to build something late in the half, and we took that back. It changed the game completely.”

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Bennington’s defense continued to keep the high-powered Elkhorn North offense in check in the second half. Olson collected a pair of second-half interceptions to keep the Wolves out of the end zone.

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“Elkhorn North has some tall, athletic and fast receivers,” Olson added. “They have everything and they played well tonight. It is just a matchup of who can high-point the ball and get there first.”

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Archer tallied his third touchdown of the game in the final stanza on a 1-yard TD plunge.

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Just like their first matchup in the regular season, a 14-0 win for Bennington, the key to Friday’s game was the battle in the trenches. The Badgers once again win the battle on both sides of the ball, outgaining Elkhorn North 257-74.

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“Everybody always says the game starts up front and I believe it,” Miller said. “Us six offensive linemen have great comradery and really put it together. Elkhorn North had some huge guys up front, but coach (Trae) Bradburn helped us focus on getting low and focus on the fundamentals.”

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Archer led the way for Bennington, running the ball 45 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Sanmann went 15-of-23 passing for 168 yards and a score; Ben Jorgensen caught five passes for 50 yards; Andersen hauled in four receptions for 43 yards and a TD; Taffa had two catches for 42 yards and Hudson Neuverth added four receptions for 33 yards.

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Olson guided the defense with two interceptions. Kyler Lauridsen collected 10 tackles and two tackles for loss; Layne Boever recorded six tackles and a tackle for loss; Jansen notched four tackles, a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss and Utech pitched in three tackles and a tackle for loss.

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“We realized they were going to need to pass the ball tonight because we wanted to shut down their run game,” Olson remarked. “They threw it over the top a few times and we knew we needed to drop back. That led to the two picks to seal the game.”

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Tingelhoff propelled the Wolf offense with 63 yards rushing and Elkhorn North’s lone touchdown. Ferguson threw for 43 yards; Reynolds caught a 36-yard pass and Chase Loftin tallied three receptions for 13 yards.

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Elkhorn North ends its season with a program-best 10-2 record and its first trip to the Class B State Semifinals. Seventeen seniors graduate for the Wolves, who will look to continue their meteoric rise as a Class B contender.

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Bennington (12-0) puts its 38-game win on the line, as the Badgers look for their third-straight Class B State Title on Nov. 20 against Skutt Catholic (11-1) at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium. A win not only gives Bennington Class B’s first three-peat, but sets the Class B record for consecutive wins.

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“This is exactly what we wanted,” Olson spoke. “It’s going to take a lot of defense, offense and special teams. We can’t get the job done with one side of the ball. Our offense is going to have to roll, our defense is going to have to stop them and our special teams are going to have a big role in the game.”

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The state final is a rematch of the week one matchup of the 2023 season, which saw Bennington score on a last-second touchdown to defeat Skutt 14-13.

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“I love going against Skutt and everyone at Bennington loves to play Skutt,” Miller concluded. “We want to show that we earned the week one win and we want to earn it again on Monday.”