Sanmann’s late TD, stifling defense lead Badgers to 27th-straight win

OMAHA — The 2023 Nebraska high school football season kicked off with a classic battle Friday night as the two-time defending Class B State Champions Bennington edged Skutt Catholic 14-13.

“We started off slow, but you expect that the first week,” Bennington senior Gunnar Lym stated. “Offense started slow and we were missing some tackles on defense that led to some big plays. That is just some week one stuff that we can fix. In the end, our offense came together and made plays. Skutt is a really good team and we will probably see them again later down the road.”

The game came down to the final series of the contest. Tied at seven after three quarters of play, Skutt senior Morgan Finkenbinder drilled two fourth-quarter field goals to put the SkyHawks ahead 13-7 with 4:28 remaining in the contest.

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After several stalled drives throughout the game, the Badger offense engineered a 14-play, 68-yard game-winning scoring drive. Bennington converted a key fourth-and-three to cross midfield as senior quarterback Peyton Sanmann — who made his first career start Friday — took off on a QB draw for eight yards and a first down. 

Three plays later, Sanmann scrambled free and flicked a pass to Quinton Archer who broke free for a 34-yard gain and to the Skutt 4-yard line with under a minute remaining.

A 2-yard Archer run reached the two, but a false start pushed the Badgers back to the seven. Bennington returned to the two after a 5-yard pass to Ben Jorgensen. Sanmann was stopped for no gain on the ensuing play and Bennington used its final time out facing a fourth-and-goal from the two with six ticks remaining on the clock. What ensued will be highly discussed and debated for years to come

“We called a rollout with two receiving options for me,” Sanmann recalled. “Once I turned the corner, I saw an opening in the running lane so I put my head down and tried to take it.”

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As Sanmann lunged for the goal line, SkyHawk linebacker Anthony Heithoff delivered a thunderous shot to Sanmann. The referee ruled Sanmann had crossed the line of scrimmage and awarded the Badgers the touchdown with two seconds remaining.

Evan Utech drilled the PAT and ended the game on the ensuing kickoff as the Badger kickoff squad foiled Skutt’s last ditch efforts to pitch the ball around.

The last time the Bennington football team played in a one-score game was the last time the Badgers lost on the gridiron in the second round of the Class B State Tournament in 2020.

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Since then, Bennington had defeated opponents by an average scoring margin of 34 points over the past two seasons.

Friday’s game was a huge test of character for the Badgers, who are tasked with replacing several key starters from last year’s state title team.

“We have not faced a lot of adversity over the years,” Sanmann noted. “But this game showed we can battle through when things get tough.”

The game was a defensive struggle through the 48-minute battle.

Both defenses flourished in the first half as offense came at a premium.

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The only scoring took place thanks in part to big plays. With the ball at midfield in the first quarter, the SkyHawks struck first with a 46-yard touchdown run by Colin Pike.

The Badger offense had a pair of second-quarter drives stall in Skutt territory.

Late in the first half, the Badger defense made a huge play. Facing a third-and-long inside Bennington’s 40-yard line, Ethan Roop jumped a route and picked off the pass.

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Three plays later, Sanmann connected on a 66-yard bomb to Elliott Andersen to give Bennington a first-and-goal from the Skutt 4-yard line. Archer finished the drive with a 2-yard TD plunge with under a minute remaining in the half to knot the game at 7-all.

“It was huge,” Sanmann commented. “We have a bunch of new people on offense, including myself. We needed to get comfortable out there. Once we got things going, it started to flow more.”

Bennington’s defense made three huge stands in the second half to set up Sanmann’s game-winning score.

On Skutt’s opening drive of the second half, the SkyHawks marched down the field and to Bennington’s 32. On the next play, Lym punched loose the ball and Gavin Olson pounded on the fumble to end the scoring threat.

“I felt the running back for Skutt was holding the ball a little loose all game,” Lym recalled. “I punched it out and Gavin (Olson) jumped on it. Eventually we will cause a turnover if we keep making them snap the ball and run plays over and over.”

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The two turnovers inside Bennington territory and holding the SkyHawks to a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the contest.

“We will give up little chunk plays but at the end of the day that does not matter because we will not let teams score,” Lym added. “We’re too good of a defense and we will get a stop eventually on a drive. There are a lot of things we need to clean up, but we are feeling pretty good with how we played.”

In his first start at signal caller, Sanmann threw for 166 yards and added 32 yards on the ground to go along with the game-winning touchdown. Archer compiled 115 yards of total offense and a score and Andersen added four catches for 86 yards.

Bennington (1-0) looks to make it 28-straight wins on Friday, when the Badgers welcome the last team to defeat them to town as Plattsmouth (1-0) faces Bennington at 7 p.m.

“It was a great win, but our final goal is not to win in week one; it is to win it all at the end,” Sanmann concluded. “We need to keep working week by week to get better.”