Worth County turned back Schuyler County 70-16 Saturday to advance to the State Semifinals. South Holt beat Plattsburg in the other bracket 60-58, so Worth County will travel to South Holt Friday at 3 pm, since the Tigers and Knights both hosted two games, but the Knights did not host a quarterfinal game and the Tigers did. Schuyler County lost to the Tigers 80-12 two years ago and went winless, but has come a long ways since then, going 5-6 last year and going 9-3 this year.
Archie and Braymer are the other semifinalists. Archie, after giving up 44 points all year, gave up 42 points to Lockwood this year, but turned them back 82-42. Braymer beat St. Paul Lutheran 84-51. Archie, Braymer, and South Holt all are unbeaten, with Worth County having one loss.
The Rams tried an unsuccessful onsides kick, and Worth County covered it at the 37. Landon Wilmes ripped off 12 and then Tyler New got a block from Wilmes, walked the tightrope down the right side, and ran through defenders like they weren’t even there to score from 34 yards out. Tyler New got a block from Lucas Frisch and ran in the extra points with 11:29 left to make it 8-0.
Schuyler County came out with a solid quarterback in Connor Smith and a receiver in Mayson Humphrey. The focus of the Tigers was to limit Humphrey as much as possible and make someone else beat them instead. They doubled Humphrey and tried to force Schuyler to move it slowly down the field. On their first series, Grant McIntyre broke up a pass. Humphrey caught a short pass and Elliott Sevits picked up one more to the 24 before meeting Elias Alarcon and Grant McIntyre. But on fourth down, Schuyler attempted a double pass, pitching it out to Humphrey on the sideline for him to air out. But the play fooled nobody and Humphrey was sacked at the 19 to give the Tigers a short field. The ball was a forward pass anyway, so it would have been a penalty had Humphrey thrown it.
Worth County was faced with a third and six at the 15, but then Tyler New took a read option and kept it, taking it to the house with 9:14 left. Tyler ran in the extra points after getting a block from Lucas Frisch to make it 16-0.
The Rams tried to come out firing, but nobody was open and Connor Smith threw it away. A short pass to Humphrey went nowhere as he was bet by Landon Wilmes and Elias Alarcon. On third down, the pass was too far and they were forced to punt. Worth County got it at their own 14 and faked the jet sweep, with Tyler New keeping it 21 yards to the 35. Landon Wilmes lost one on the next play, put got blocks from Elias Alarcon and Grant McIntyre for eight to the Ram 38. Lucas Frisch picked up three and a first down. Connor Smith broke up a long pass intended for Bo Collins, but then Landon Wilmes got a block from Lucas Frisch and took it 18 yards to the 17. Grant McIntyre caught the next pass for a score and Landon Wilmes took an option pitch to make it 24-0 with 5:18 left in the first.
But Schuyler settled down and kept it on the ground, marching it down the field, trying to take advantage of the fact that Worth County was doubling up Humphrey. Elliott Sevits picked up a first down to the 38, and then a short pass to Humphrey put it on the 31. They had fourth and three at the Tiger 24, but then Kolten Smith tackled Danny Priebe short of the first down at the 23. Landon Wilmes got a block from Bo Collins to the 38, and Lucas Frisch got blocks from Elias Alarcon and Grant McIntyre five yards to the 37. On the next play, Tyler New got blocks from Carter Chapman and Lucas Frisch and bounced it outside and took it to the house. Tyler got a block from Lucas Frisch and added the extra points to make it 32-0 with 1:11 left in the first.
The Rams continued to mix runs and short passes, moving down the field from their own 20 to the 33. But they tried to air it out and missed. A short pass to Humphrey went nowhere as he met Landon Wilmes and Bo Collins. They tried a short pass to Karsyn Elliott, but he ran into Lucas Frisch to set up fourth and eight at the 35. They went for it, but the pass was too far for Humphrey, and Worth County had a short field to work with. They made the most of it as Bo Collins made a diving grab to the nine. Landon Wilmes took it eight yards to the one, and then Tyler New got a big line surge and took it to the house with 9:21 left in the second to make it 38-0.
Schuyler County set up shop at their own 25 on the next series. Mason Windy then met Grant McIntyre, and then Kolten Smith blew up a pitchout to Sevits. Kolten Smith then batted down a third down pass and Schuyler was forced to punt. Elias Alarcon blocked it and the Tigers once again had a short field to work with at the Ram 29. They only needed one play to score as Tyler New aired it out to Grant McIntyre to make it 46-0 with 7:48 left after Grant caught the extra point pass.
But the Rams were not finished, and Connor Smith, about to get tackled for a loss, made a playground move and pitched it to Sevits, who found nothing but daylight from the Ram 31 to the Tiger 15. A delay of game penalty, the first penalty all day on either team, moved it back to the 20. It was a clean game, with only three penalties called all afternoon. But Humphrey finally got loose over the middle, and on the swinging gate, Humphrey threw it to Smith for the extra points to make it 46-8.
Schuyler then threatened to make a game of it when they recovered a fumble at the Ram 33. But on third and eight at the 35, Grant McIntyre jumped a route, got a block from Elias Alarcon, and took it to the house with 4:22 left. Grant caught the extra point pass to make it 54-8.
Another long completion to Humphrey to the Tiger 25 put the Rams in scoring position again. The Tigers could not get off the field defensively as on fourth and ten, Humphrey grabbed another pass to the 12. They got as far as the 5, but on fourth and three, Sevits came out of the backfield and was wide open, but Smith overthrew him and Worth County got the ball back on downs. They got as far as the Ram 35 before time expired.
The game was over the 45 point margin, but Schuyler elected to play on and got the ball to start the second half. On the first drive, Worth County had trouble getting off the field as Smith threw a strike to Humphrey for 12 yards on fourth and ten at the Tiger 35. On third and ten, Worth County lost track of Isaiah Arnold, who caught an 18 yard pass to the 5. But then a shovel pass to Humphrey went nowhere as he met Lucas Frisch and Landon Wilmes. Grant McIntyre batted down a pass, Tyler New broke up another, and then Grant McIntyre intercepted a pass on fourth down and returned it to the 14. They only needed one play to take advantage as Landon Wilmes took it to the house and Lucas Frisch ran in the extra points to make it 62-8.
Once again, Worth County had trouble getting off the field defensively, and this time it cost them as on fourth and 10 from their own 32, Smith completed a pass to Humphrey to the 37 and a first down. On third and ten from there, Sevits found a big hole and took it to the house with 10:23 left in the fourth, and on a center eligible play, Humphrey threw a pass to Caden Veatch to make it 62-16.
But the junior varsity took it right down the field as Lucas Frisch got carries of five and nine yards to the Ram 32 after the Tigers covered the ensuing onsides kick. Cole Ruby had carries of one and seven yards, and Hayden Sanders converted a first down to the Ram 20. On the next play, Cole Ruby got blocks from Karson Briner and Caleb New and took it to the house with 6:21 left and Cole caught the extra point pass to make it 70-16. Sawyer Thurman rung Casey Starrett’s bell to give the Tigers the ball back on downs, and they were able to run out the clock.
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