Platte Valley Back on Winning Track as Kegan Etter Sparks Team

Platte Valley unloaded on Stewartsville/Osborn 54-14 as they got back on track following their embarrassing 77-22 loss to undefeated South Holt the week before. Quarterback Aydan Blackford said that Monday practice was spent watching a lot of film and coach Johnnie Silkett chewing them out. “We deserved it,” he said. Platte Valley rested some key players including Mason Casner. Blackford played only one way, while Justin Miller would come off the bench to spell different people. It was Kegan Etter sparking Platte Valley early with a disruptive presence in the Wildcard backfield, and Leland Otto delivering some bonecrushing blocks on offense and some hard tackles on defense.

The opening kickoff was bobbled at the 13 and Lucky Ferry only got two yards on the first play. But then with the Wildcards selling out to stop the middle, Ferry bounced it to the outside and took it 35 yards to the 30, and then Leland Otto got the edge to the 5. Jayden Strum took it the rest of the way and Ferry took in the extra points to make it 8-0 with 10:08 left in the first quarter.

Jayden Strum dropped Chance Gibson for a one yard loss and Leland Otto shot in and dropped him for a loss of three more. Kegan Etter shot through on a blitz untouched and got a sack to force a three and out. Xavier Middleton, handling punt returns with Casner out, had some nice runs, starting with a long runback to the Wildcard 18. A holding penalty and a false start moved Platte Valley back to the 13, but that only made things more interesting as Lucky Ferry took a dive, got a block from Leland Otto, and took it to the house. Aydan Blackford ran in the extra points behind the blocking of Otto with 7:29 left to make 16-0.

Etter was a one man wrecking crew on the next series after the Wildcards returned the kickoff to the 23 as he rung quarterback Trevyn Martens’ bell, forcing him out for the rest of the series. On the next play, a mixup on the handoff resulted in a handoff. Etter got the hit and Jayden Strum got the fumble recovery at the 5. Ferry lost a yard, and then Aydan Blackford got flushed out of the pocket by Kaden Stebbins, but he found a wide open Lane Acklin for a score. Dylan Klamm, who got a lot more carries at runningback this week as a freshman,  ran in the extra points to make it 24-0.

Martens returned for the Wildcards, but he slipped and fell trying to elude Leland Otto. After falling behind, the Wildcards tried to follow Pattonsburg’s lead and spread it out and throw, but they were plagued by a ton of drops, including two on the next two plays. They were forced to punt, and Xavier Middleton was able to return it 50 yards to the house with 4:53 left in the first quarter. Lane Acklin was all alone for the extra point pass from Blackford to make it 32-0.

Another drop, a pitch that only went one, and another sack from Kegan Etter forced another three and out. Xavier Middleton returned it to the 27, and Platte Valley marched down to the 14. But this time, a botched shovel pass was ruled a fumble and Eli Whitmer scooped and scored to put the Wildcards on the board and make it 32-6. Landon Wiederholt sacked Martens on the extra point try.

A holding penalty on the kickoff buried Platte Valley on the 11, but Lucky Ferry ran it seven yards to the 18, getting a block from Leland Otto. On the next play, Leland Otto got a block from Landon Wiederholt and took it 62 yards to the house with 30 seconds left in the first quarter and Justin Miller caught the extra point pass from Blackford to make it 40-8.

A mixup on the kickoff allowed Jayden Strum to drop one of the Wildcard return men at the 19. A run and a pass picked up seven yards, but another drop resulted in a three and out and Platte Valley started at their own 32. Dylan Klamm took a pitchout to the 39 and then a dive to the 37 and then got two more to the 34. Jayden Strum got four yards to the 31 and then nobody covered Lane Acklin for the third time and he was all alone for a pass from Aydan Blackford with 8:36 left to make it 46-6.

Bruce Otto rung Levi Lindsey’s bell at the 33, and then a bad snap resulted in a strip by Lane Acklin and a fumble recovery by Justin Miller at the 30. Klamm picked up four yards to the 16, a quick hitter to Jayden Strum picked up three to the 14, and then with Stewartsville/Osborn selling out to stop the dive, Dylan Klamm bounced outside to the house with 6:26 left in the second for Platte Valley’s final score. Klamm ran in the extra points to make it 54-6.

With Platte Valley subbing freely for the last six minutes of the half, Martens aired it out to Grant Burris from 75 yards out in the closing seconds and Ryan Orta caught the extra point pass to cut it to 54-14. With Stewartsville/Osborn down seven players and with Platte Valley resting key players before their playoff drive, the two coaches agreed to call the game at halftime.