Defense leads Bennington to win over Elkhorn North

BENNINGTON — A stellar defensive performance and strong play in the trenches guided the Bennington football team to a 14-0 victory over Elkhorn North Friday.

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“It was awesome,” Bennington senior Gage Koso stated. “Everyone showed up and played well. Defense, offense and special teams had great games. Like coach (Kam Lenhart) said, this is just a stepping stone. It was a great win, but we have more to get done. We have to battle back with playoffs coming.”

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Friday’s battle of unbeatens was a defensive struggle all night. The offenses had to deal with strong defenses and adverse weather conditions all night. The top two teams in Class B combined for just over 400 yards. 

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After forcing a turnover on downs on Elkhorn North’s opening drive, Bennington’s offense struck first. On the second play from scrimmage, Peyton Sanmann connected on a 55-yard pass to Elliott Andersen.

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“It was a great start,” Koso spoke. “We got the early momentum and energy and you could see it in our sidelines. We kept feeding off of it.”

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Both squads exchanged punts the remainder of the first quarter as the defenses shined. Elkhorn North had a golden opportunity to tie the game after Jase Reynolds blocked the punt and gave the Wolves the ball at Bennington’s 17-yard line.

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On third-and-1, the Bennington defense came up with a huge stop and forced the field goal. The kick was off the mark as the Badgers maintained their 7-point lead.

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“Getting that stop was huge for our defense,” Bennington senior Evan Utech commented. “It keeps that motivation high on our side. We tried to play physical and I think it turned the tide completely and showed how good Bennington is.”

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The Wolves had one final chance to tie the game before the half. With the ball at midfield and the wind at their back, Elkhorn North took a shot toward the end zone. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Gunnar Lym was the only player near the pass and the senior defensive back made a diving interception to end the scoring threat.

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After exchanging punts to begin the second half, Bennington went to the ground game. Quinton Archer ran the ball six times for 33 yards and scored on a 12-yard TD run.

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“We wanted to be powerful, aggressive and nasty up front,” Koso said. “We did really well and drove the ball down their throats.”

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Elkhorn North’s offense put its best drive together on its ensuing drive. Jett Tingelhoff and Johnny Ferguson combined for 55 yards on the ground to reach the Bennington 21-yard line. However, the Badger defense once again held and recorded two tackles for loss, including a Kyler Lauridsen sack on fourth down, to end the drive.

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The 14 points were more than enough for the Bennington defense in the shutout victory. The shutout was the third of the season for the Badger defense and the first time Elkhorn North failed to register any points since the Wolves’ very first football game in 2020.

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“Today we had a great day,” Utech noted. “We held them to zero points. The greatest value of our defense is we play as a team. Everyone has their part and if you do it to the best of your ability, everything will go great.”

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Ferguson led the Elkhorn North offense with 66 yards rushing. Ferguson completed just two passes for seven yards. Tingelhoff ran for 62 yards; Ethan Beachy rushed for 27 yards, Alex Uchtman had 15 yards rushing and Tommy Meckna caught two passes for seven yards.

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For Bennington, Archer recorded 143 yards rushing and a score. Sanmann threw for 84 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 36 yards rushing. Andersen tallied two catches for 55 yards and a TD and Hudson Neuverth added three receptions for 29 yards.

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Lauridsen paced the defense with nine tackles and three tackles for loss. Ben Gilliland recorded 13 tackles, Layne Boever notched nine tackles, Jack Jansen and Tysen Fleischman each collected seven tackles; Utech had six tackles; Gavin Olson pitched in five tackles and Lym contributed four tackles and an interception.

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Elkhorn North (7-1) looks to bounce back Friday, as the Wolves welcome Blair to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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Bennington ends the regular season with a home matchup against Mount Michael (2-5) Friday at 7 p.m.

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“We are all looking great,” Utech concluded. “The offense has really been picking it up and showing great signs. The defense has been strong all season. There were new people on both sides of the ball, like myself, that have improved and can still get better.”