Beister, defense power Antlers past Gross Catholic

ELKHORN — A strong running attack and an opportunistic defense led the Elkhorn High football team to a 27-13 victory over Gross Catholic Friday.

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"We knew we had to block really well to win this game and I think we did that," Elkhorn High junior Elliot Beister stated. “Our blocking and our defense helped us get the win today.”

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After the Antlers went three-and-out to start the contest, Gross drove 59 yards in 11 plays and found the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Colby Duncan to Westin Miller-Ayivi. Sam Leinen blocked the ensuing PAT to keep the deficit to six.

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Elkhorn High responded with a quick scoring drive to claim the lead. Beister opened the drive with a 20-yard run and a personal foul facemask by the Cougars moved the ball just outside the red zone. Five plays later, Beau Twohig connected on a 13-yard scoring pass to Mason Villwok to put Elkhorn High up 7-6 late in the first quarter.

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“It was very important to score after they did,” Beister noted. “It kept us in the game and it probably ended up being the reason why we ended up on top on the scoreboard.” 

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On Gross' next drive, Villwok knocked the ball loose and Peyton Turman pounced on the loose pigskin at the Cougar 34. The Antlers gave the ball right back to Gross five plays later after a fumble to end the first.

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Elkhorn High once again had a golden opportunity to add to its lead when Gus Schultz intercepted Duncan's pass and returned the pick to the Gross 19. The Antlers came away with nothing again as a 35-yard field goal attempt was off the mark.

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After forcing a punt on Gross' next drive, the Antler offense regrouped and strung together a scoring drive. 

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Beister ran the ball right times for 40 yards to reach the Gross six. Facing a fourth-and-three from the six, coach Dan Feickert dialed up a well-timed play-action that caught the Cougars off guard as Twohig found Charlie Lamski for 6-yard TD. The PAT was off the mark as Elkhorn High led 13-6 with 2:12 remaining in the half.

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Duncan tried to power the Cougars down the field for the tying touchdown before the half, running for 22 yards and passing for 35 to reach the Antler 20. With three ticks remaining Duncan fired a pass to Miller-Ayivi, but Andrew Salvatore made a huge tackle at the one to keep Gross out of the end zone and preserve the Antlers' 13-6 edge at the break.

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“I knew not to let him get in the end zone,” Salvatore recalled. “I saw my chance and I hit him.”

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A solid kick return to open the second half, kick started Gross' third trip to the Elkhorn High redzone. Facing a fourth down, Duncan tossed up a pass toward the end zone, but Salvatore made a diving interception to end the drive.

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“I have to give credit to the linebackers, they were all over the quarterback,” Salvatore continued. “Erik Pfahl hit the quarterback pretty hard on that pass. It ended up being a bad throw and I was able to get to it.”

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On the next play, Beister busted free for an 80-yard touchdown to extend the Antlers' edge to 20-6.

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“I was looking for a hole, I saw a seam and I hit it,” Beister commented. “I really wasn’t expecting that on the first play of the half for us, but it happened.”

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After exchanging punts, Gross orchestrated a 13-play, 62-yard scoring drive ending with a 4-yard TD run to cut Elkhorn High’s lead to seven three minutes into the fourth

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On the ensuing kickoff, Salvatore appeared to snatch the momentum back from the Cougars with an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but the return was called back due to a holding.

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The Antlers did not falter as it took just four plays for Elkhorn High to reach paydirt again, this time on a 32-yard scoring run by Beister.

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“Responding was the reason we won tonight,” Beister said. “It kept the momentum on our side as the game went on.”

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The Antler defense prevented any last ditch effort by Gross for a comeback and sealed the 14-point triumph over last year’s state runner-up. 

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The red and white defense forced three crucial turnovers in the game and held Gross to its lowest point total since 2021.

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“We wanted to make Gross run the ball,” Salvatore remarked. “We knew their strength was throwing the ball. That’s what we did and we were able to shut their run game down. Our linebackers got to the QB and made him scramble when they did pass. It turned out well for us.”

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The ground-and-pound tradition of Elkhorn High proved to be the key in Friday’s victory. The Antlers ran for nearly 300 yards as a team, while holding the Cougars to 155 yards rushing. The strong running attack was a huge reason for Elkhorn High’s win, especially with a backup quarterback having to take snaps under center.

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“The run game was very important tonight,” Beister stated. “Beau (Twohig) was locked in all week at practice and ready to throw the ball when his name was called. The run really helped us out in the win tonight.”

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Beister led the way with nearly 250 yards rushing and two scores. Twohig went 4-of-5 passing for 45 yards and two touchdowns; Villwok caught two passes for 30 yards and a TD; Leinen accumulated nearly 30 yards of offense and Jayden Moody added nearly 20 yards on the ground. 

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Elkhorn High (2-1) continues its challenging schedule to start the 2023 campaign. The Antlers battle their fourth top-10 ranked opponent of the season as Elkhorn High travels to Skutt Catholic (2-1) Friday at 7 p.m.

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“If we can run the ball like we did tonight and having Kayd Matthews back (Elkhorn High’s starting QB) to pass the ball, I think we will do well next week,” Salvatore concluded.