Second half surge leads to historic win for Elkhorn North

ELKHORN — The Elkhorn North football team is off to its best start in program history after defeating Grand Island Northwest 30-12 Thursday.

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"It was a gritty win,” Elkhorn North senior Cole Daubert stated. “It might not have looked the best, but all that matters is that we got the win.”

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After falling behind by three late in the first half, Elkhorn North scored 24 unanswered points and shut out the Vikings 21-0 in the second half.

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“Last year we came out of the locker room against Northwest up 20 and lost,” Daubert continued. “We came out of the locker room with energy and ready to go.”

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Despite both squads racking up yards in the first half, the defenses played well and controlled the first 24 minutes of play.

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Northwest racked up 120 yards of offense in the first half, while the Wolves ran for 105 yards and threw for 88 yards in the first 24 minutes of play.

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A Jett Tingelhoff interception on Grand Island Northwest's first drive set up a Chase Loftin 32-yard field goal to give the Wolves the early 3-0 lead.

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The Vikings answered with back-to-back field goals of their own to claim a 6-3 edge midway through the second quarter.

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A pair of 20-yard runs by Tingelhoff and Johnny Ferguson gave Elkhorn North a first-and-10 from the Northwest 12. On third down, Ferguson lofted a pass to Loftin in the end zone, but Ashton Helgoth poked the ball out of Loftin's hands to break up the potential touchdown. The Wolves settled for a 24-yard Loftin field goal to knot the game at six with three minutes remaining.

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The tie did not last long, as the Vikings drove 65 yards in eight plays and scored on a Camden Jensen 3-yard TD run. The ensuing PAT was no good as Northwest led 12-6 with under a minute remaining in the half.

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A big pass play helped set up Elkhorn North's final score of the half. Ferguson fired a 49-yard bomb to Loftin to reach the Viking 16. An 11-yard pass to Tingelhoff to the 5-yard line set up a 22-yard Loftin field goal to cut the deficit to three at the break.

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A huge defensive play helped spark the Wolves coming out of the locker room to start the third quarter. On Northwest's opening drive of the half, AJ Paladino recorded a huge sack to halt the Vikings' drive. Ten plays later, Ferguson found paydirt on a 1-yard plunge.

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"I was not playing well before the sack," Paladino recalled. “I saw the open gap and went right toward the quarterback. I got the sack and everyone was hyped from the play. It brought the mood up for everyone.”

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Following a Northwest three-and-out, the Wolves were back on the move. Facing a fourth-and-9, Loftin fielded a high snap on the punt and took off. The junior Wolf scampered for a 15-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, Ferguson fired a quick pass to Tommy Meckna who broke a handful of tackles and went 40 yards to the house to extend Elkhorn North’s advantage to 23-12 late in the third.

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The Elkhorn North defense continued to hit on all cylinders on offense. Barry Fries and Meckna each recorded an interception in the fourth quarter. 

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Tingelhoff tallied the final score on a 37-yard touchdown run to seal the 18-point triumph.

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The Wolf defense allowed just one score on the night and held the Vikings to their lowest point total of the season. Tingelhoff led the defense with an interception and eight tackles; Jase Reynolds and Chris Thiessen each notched seven tackles; Kyle Witt collected six tackles; Sam Huff had five tackles; Paladino contributed four tackles and a sack; while Fries and Meckna each picked off a pass.

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“We started slow on defense but when we got to the locker room, we talked over some stuff and made changes,” Paladino noted. “We came out ready to compete.”

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Elkhorn North won the battle of the trenches, outrushing Northwest 219-124. Ferguson threw for 116 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 59 yards and a score. Tingelhoff accounted for 112 yards on the ground, a TD and 11 yards receiving; Meckna caught four passes for 63 yards and a score; Loftin accumulated  70 yards of total offense; Alex Uchtman ran for 20 yards and Ethan Beachy threw for 15 yards and added 15 yards on the ground.

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“Our running backs did a great job of hitting the holes we made for them,” Daubert commented. “Our offense really started to click once we got the run game going.”

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Elkhorn North (4-0) looks to continue its unbeaten season Friday, As the Wolves travel to Omaha Westview for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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“We are going to work our butts off this week at practice and be ready for the game,” Paladino concluded.