SALINA – To open the KSHSAA 2A football state championship at USD 305 District Stadium, Kingman’s (12-1) Avery Albright muffed the opening kickoff. He recovered, only to be wrestled down at the five-yard line.
For the Eagles, the early misstep would turn out to be an omen for the rest of the afternoon. For Nemaha Central (13-0), it was the only spark they needed to take control of the contest early and never look back.
48 minutes later, the Thunder clinched their second title in four seasons.
Nemaha Central 33, Kingman 17.
“It’s awesome,” Thunder head coach Michael Glatczak said. “It’s awesome for this community, seeing people’s faces after the game. We did a really good job. Hat’s off to Kingman … they made it a [heck] of a fourth quarter.”
With 6:37 left in the first quarter, Nemaha Central senior running back Cooper Hajek opened the scoring with a short touchdown run to make it 6-0. Less than two minutes later, he found paydirt again, capitalizing on a snap that went over the head of Kingman quarterback Nolan Freund and back to the Eagles’ two-yard line.
Hajek would end the afternoon with 210 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries. It was clear the Thunder were content with sticking with what got them there.
“That’s exactly what we did,” Glatczak said. “We watched film and Kingman is very fast, so we knew it would be hard to get outside runs on them. We have a workhorse and the offensive line did a great job.”
Ahead 14-0, Nemaha Central kept its foot on the gas, driving right down the field on the Eagles, capping it off with an 18-yard end-around by Gavin Cain to extend the lead to 20-0. Freund would knock through a 36-yard field goal to get Kingman on the board before half after back-to-back interceptions stunted the Eagles’ previous drives.
At the break, Nemaha Central led, 20-3.
The Hajek show continued through the third quarter, tallying his third touchdown on the ground and eclipsing 2,000 yards on the season. By the time four minutes had elapsed in the fourth quarter, Hajek had scored his fourth and the Thunder led 33-3.
Then, Kingman – determined to not go away – found the end zone for the first time all day with a 17-yard hookup from Freund to wide receiver Carter Helm. The Eagles recovered their onside kick, only for it to result in Freund’s third interception just a few plays later. Down 33-11 with the clock working against them, the Eagles forced a quick three-and-out and scored again with a Freund-to-Tristen Davidson connection for 22 yards.
Freund finished with 173 yards passing and 62 yards rushing for Kingman and Davidson had 85 yards and a touchdown on five receptions for the Eagles.
With only two minutes remaining, Kingman would earn one last possession, but it ultimately fell short with another turnover. From there, the Nemaha Central faithful was able to exhale – and celebrate another state title.
“I’m obviously a young coach, but hat’s off to my assistant coaches and this senior group,” Glatczak said. “They did a great job last year and again this year. … It’s awesome.”
The win caps a perfect 13-0 campaign for the Thunder.
Nemaha Central 33, Kingman 17
Nemaha Central (13-0): 14 – 6 – 6 – 7 | 33
Kingman (12-1): 0 – 3 – 0 – 14 | 17
Scoring summary
FIRST QUARTER
6:37 | (NC) Cooper Hajek 4-yard run (2-pt. failed) | NC, 6-0
4:43 | (NC) Cooper Hajek 2-yard run (2-pt.) | NC, 14-0
SECOND QUARTER
10:07 | (NC) Gavin Cain 18-yard run (2-pt. failed) | NC, 20-0
0:04 | (K) Nolan Freund 36-yard field goal | NC, 20-3
THIRD QUARTER
4:15 | (NC) Cooper Hajek 26-yard run (2-pt. failed) | NC, 26-3
FOURTH QUARTER
8:47 | (NC) Cooper Hajek 29-yard run (kick) | NC, 33-3
7:28 | (K) Nolan Freund 17-yard pass to Carter Helm (2-pt.) | NC, 26-11
1:36 | (K) Nolan Freund 22-yard pass to Tristen Davidson (2-pt. failed) | NC, 26-17
Team statistics
NEMAHA CENTRAL
Rushing yards: 243
Passing (C-A-I): 2-7-0
Passing yards: 23
Total yards: 266
KINGMAN
Rushing yards: 72
Passing (C-A-I): 15-30-3
Passing yards: 173
Total yards: 245
Individual statistics
NEMAHA CENTRAL
Passing: Brayden Uphaus – 2/7, 23 yds.
Rushing: Cooper Hajek – 38 car, 210 yds, 4 TD; Gavin Cain – 1 car, 18 yds, TD; Brayden Uphaus – 10 car, 17 yds; Wade Leonard – 1 car, 0 yds; TEAM – 2 car, -2 yds.
Receiving: Wade Leonard – 1 rec, 15 yds; Cooper Hajek – 1 rec, 8 yds.
KINGMAN
Passing: Nolan Freund – 15/30, 173 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT.
Rushing: Nolan Freund – 14 car, 62 yds; Avery Albright – 2 car, 10 yds; Jake Fischer – 3 car, 5 yds; Carter Helm – 2 car, -5 yds.
Receiving: Tristen Davidson – 5 rec, 85 yds, TD; Avery Albright – 3 rec, 26 yds; Chase Webster – 2 rec, 26 yds; Bo Watkins – 2 rec, 19 yds; Carter Helm – 3 rec, 17 yds, TD.
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