Cougars earn 2nd straight D-1 title

Sandy Creek overpowers the Crofton Warriors 66-26 in an epic show of dominance, speed and talent Monday in Lincoln

Sandy Creek secured consecutive state championships with a decisive 66-26 win over the Crofton Warriors Monday, Nov. 24, during the Class D-1 state championship game played on Tom Osborne Field inside Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium.

It was all Sandy Creek in the first half as they scored 53 points and held Crofton to 14.

Kamerin Sealey got it going for the Cougars on a one-yard run, and Sealey would find Logan Tomky for the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with five minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Cougars forced another stop and got the ball back, driving down the field before an end-around reverse from Kaeden Schmidt to Wes Biltoft allowed Biltoft to walk into the end zone for six, and Schmidt ran in the two-point conversion to make it 16-0 with 2:27 left in the opening stanza.

Crofton had an answer, however, with a touchdown of their own near the end of the first quarter to make it 16-8.

Sandy Creek’s offense wasn’t slowing down any in the second quarter, as a 33-yard reception from Sealey to Biltoft set up a Sealey touchdown from nine yards out. Tomky secured the two-point conversion to make it 24-8 with 8:10 left in the first half.

Following a great tackle on fourth down by Jackson Gerdes, Crofton would turn the ball over on downs. The Cougars would start with excellent field position and one play later Sealey found Tomky for 29-yard touchdown and Schmidt would run it in for the two-point conversion to make it 32-8 6:54 in the second quarter.

Sealey came up with an interception after it was batted at the line of scrimmage by Christian Shaw and the Cougars would take advantage and scored a couple plays later with a Sealey four-yard touchdown run. Ben Burger added the extra-point to make it 39-8 with 4:35 left in the half.

Crofton would score on the next drive, but Sandy Creek had a quick answer with a score of their own by a Sealey 26-yard touchdown run and Burgers’ PAT to make it 46-14.

Schmidt would come up with an interception on the Cougars next defensive possession, and two plays later Sealey found Schmidt wide open down the middle of the field and Schmidt ran it in from 26 yards out. Burgers’ PAT was good to make it 53-14 with 30 seconds left in the first half.

Out of the half the Cougars would run the clock down and try a field goal from 28 yards out and would miss to the right. Crofton took advantage with a touchdown of their own to make it 53-20 with 3:08 in the third.

With 1:53 left in the third period, Sealey ran it in for his fifth touchdown from 14 yards out to make it 59-20.

Sandy Creek would score once more with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Sealey to Biltoft, making it Sealey’s fourth passing touchdown on the day and Burgers’ point after is good to make it 66-20 with 8:39 to go in the fourth.

Crofton found the end zone one more time to make it 66-26 but the Cougars would run the clock down to zero on the next drive to secure their second championship in back-to-back years.

KUTA’S REMARKS

After the game, head coach Andrew Kuta was asked what it meant right now being back-to-back champions, sharing, “I am incredibly proud of this group with a lot of doubters questioning us earlier in the year and how they came from the start of the year to the finish.” He was then asked what the locker room mentality was after the great first half, having close to 300 yards “I just told the team to keep doing what we are doing and not do anything selfish and keep putting the team first and keep playing with the physicality, and things will keep going in our favor.”

SANDY CREEK BY THE NUMBERS

The Cougars had a total of 541 yards in the game, with 272 coming from the air and then 269 on the ground.

Sealey had 272 yards passing, going 17 of 24 with four touchdowns.

The leading receiver was Biltoft with three receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns, Tomky had three catches for 100 yards with one touchdown. Schmidt had six catches for 37 yards and one score. Alex Watts had one catch for nine yards, Wyatt Livgren had three catches for six yards. Wyatt Hemberger had one catch for one yard.

Sealey was the leading rusher with 23 carries for 203 yards and five touchdowns, Schmidt had 11 carries for 39 yards, Alston Clark had two carries for 15 yards, and Livgren had two carries for 14 yards.

The Warriors had a 47-25 edge in tackles, primarily because the Cougars held a huge advantage in time of possession. Sandy Creek held the ball on offense for 24 minutes and 54 seconds, while Crofton only had the ball on offence for 13:06.

Leading the tackle charts for Sandy Creek was Schmidt with five tackles. Alex Watts, Shaw, and Josh Spray had four stops, Alston Clark was in on three tackles, while Biltoft and Gerdes had two tackles.

Schmidt and Sealey both had interceptions in the win, while Biltoft, Gerdes, and Sealey all had one pass break-up.

Score by Quarters

Sandy Creek......................... 16 37 6 7 -66 Crofton................................. 8 6 6 6 -26 SC Crofton Rush Att-Yds................................39-269 17-178 Pass Comp-Att-Yds................... 17-24-272 6-18-159 Total Offense................................. 541 337 First Downs.................................... 27 9 Fumbles/Lost.................................1-0 0-0 Total Plays...................................... 63 35 Penalties....................................... 3-12 3-20