Bennington bests Elkhorn High in battle of state champions

ELKHORN — A stifling defensive effort guided the Bennington football team to a 28-7 victory over Elkhorn High Friday.

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"It feels amazing," Bennington senior Quinton Archer stated. "We knew Elkhorn was going to be a challenge because they are always a tough team. All week we were preparing for the battle we were going to come into.”

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Friday's battle between the past two Class B State Champions saw the Badgers jump out to a quick 14-0 lead after scoring on their first two drives.

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Bennington used the ground game to reach the Antler red zone. Archer rushed for 50 yards on the opening drive to reach the Elkhorn High 4-yard line. Peyton Sanmann faked out the Antler defense with a play-action pass and found a wide-open Hudson Neuverth for a 4-yard score to go up 7-0.

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After forcing an Elkhorn High punt, the Bennington offense got back to work. The Badgers used a 12-play drive to cover 81 yards and ended the drive with a 21-yard TD reception by Elliott Andersen to claim a 14-0 edge at the start of the second quarter.

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"We talked about it in the locker room before the game about punching them in the mouth right away," Archer commented. "That’s what our offense did. We scored and let our defense tire them out.”

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Both defenses came up with some big stops as time dwindled in the first half.

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The Antlers defense gave the home squad a spark after Sam Leinen picked off a pass and returned it to midfield.

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Two plays later, Kyler Lauridsen intercepted a pass and took it to the house for a touchdown to give Bennington a 21-0 advantage at the half.

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"We were reading the quarterback’s eyes," Lauridsen recalled. "We talked before the play about the pass going my way. I read the out route and the receiver faked in and went out, but I knew he was not going inside. I saw the quarterback throw it and my eyes got wide. I jumped the pass, picked it and I saw a cutback lane and cut it back to score.”

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The Badgers controlled the line of scrimmage in the first 24 minutes of play, out rushing the Antlers 120-20 yards in the first half.

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“I have to give a lot of respect for my hogs up front (the offensive line),” Archer said. “They do a lot for us. All our big runs come from them and I have to thank them for that.”

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After stopping the Badgers on fourth down at its own 33, Elkhorn High converted a couple of big plays to lead to its first score.

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Facing a third-and-long Kayd Matthews scrambled for a 21-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later the Antlers went into their bag of tricks. Peyton Turman faked the punt and found Charlie Lamski for a 29-yard gain. Three plays later, Matthews found Lamski for a 21-yard score to cut the deficit to 14.

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Elkhorn High's next drive began in Bennington territory, but two plays into the drive Gunnar Lym picked off a pass to end the scoring threat. 

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Bennington sealed the win on its final drive. Archer broke free for a 35-yard scamper and two plays later, KJ Taffa found paydirt on a 19-yard touchdown run.

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The Badgers defense once again played a huge part in Bennington's win. The blue and white held the Antlers to just 131 yards of total offense and just 58 yards on the ground.

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“We compete every day at practice,” Lauridsen noted. “Our hardest days are Monday through Thursday. Our offense pushes us and we push our offense, which makes us better. We get physical at practice and a little chippy at times, but that’s good for us.”

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Arched guided Bennington’s offense with 140 yards rushing. Sanmann threw for 79 yards and two touchdowns; Taffa ran for 50 yards and a TD;  Andersen caught three passes for 32 yards and a score; Ben Jorgensen tallied three catches for 36 yards and Neuverth added a 4-yard touchdown reception.

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“We were tough offensively,” Archer remarked. “We battled and did what we had to do to get the win.”

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Lamski led the Antler offense with 88 yards receiving and a score. Matthews threw for 73 yards and a score to go along with 21 yards on the ground and Elliot Beister accumulated 47 yards of total offense.

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Elkhorn High (2-3) continues its tough schedule as they face their sixth top-10 opponent. The Antlers battle in-town rival Elkhorn North (5-0) Friday at 7 p.m.

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Bennington (5-0) welcomes Blair (3-2) to town Friday at 7 p.m. as the Badgers go for win their 32nd win in-a-row.

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“We all know what is at stake,” Lauridsen concluded. “We don’t think about the win streak too much. We focus on that week’s opponent, focus on practice and focus on the now so we can do what we need to do to win on Friday nights.”