Longhorns knocking on playoffs’ door

    One win down, one to go.
    The Chase County football team moved closer to a Class C2 playoff berth with a 35-29 win at Wood River Friday.
    CCS Head Coach Nathan Gaswick said it  felt like a rollercoaster of a performance physically, mentally and emotionally.
    “There seemed to be wild swings in both directions with plenty of lead changes and big plays,” Gaswick said.
    Neither team scored on their first possessions, but the Longhorns lit up the scoreboard on their second drive of the game. After two runs that gained 30 yards combined, Carter Leibbrandt found fullback Thomas Reeves open and the sophomore did the rest. Reeves raced 33 yards for a touchdown and, with James McArthur’s kick, put CCS ahead 7-0.
    The teams traded possessions into the second quarter. Wood River got on the board with a 31-yard field goal then took advantage of a CCS turnover to score on a 19-yard pass.
    Trailing 7-9, the Longhorns ran time down in the first half with a nine-play drive. Dawson Mollendor found the end zone on a five-yard run to give CCS a 14-9 advantage at halftime.
    Wood River erased its deficit in the third quarter. The Longhorns ran four plays, including a punt, to 14 plays for the Eagles. Two of Wood River’s plays resulted in touchdowns to leave CCS trailing 14-23 entering the fourth quarter.
    Chase County kept themselves in the game with a one-play possession. Mollendor broke free on a hook and ladder for an 85-yard touchdown.
    “We utilized a successful hook and ladder late in the game to try and narrow the deficit but were matched by a successful reverse play on Wood River’s ensuing possession that quickly negated our momentum,” Gaswick said of the Eagles two-play scoring drive that turned Chase County’s 21-23 deficit to 21-29.
    “Our guys continued to battle and put together drives and get defensive stops when it mattered most,” Gaswick said.
    With plenty of time on the clock, CCS alternated passes with rushes to move to Wood River’s four-yard line. From there, Mollendor found the end zone once more, but the Longhorns’ failed two-point conversion left them trailing 27-29.
    The Chase County defense went to work with less than six minutes left in the game, forcing an Eagles’ three and out.
    Easton Fries caught the Wood River punt at the Eagles’ 40-yard line, beat one defender to the sideline and out ran everyone down the right sideline for a touchdown. Leibbrandt found Kade Anderson open in the end zone for the two-point conversion to give Chase County a 35-29 lead.
    Wood River went to the air for its final possession of the game. The Eagles completed three passes to move to midfield. After an incomplete pass and unsuccessful run, Wood River completed a 23-yard pass to the Chase County 21-yard line. There the drive stalled with four incomplete passes, including a drop at the five-yard line.
    Gaswick said it was interesting to finally match up with a team that struggles with depth like the Longhorns do.
    “You could tell the majority of their players were exhausted (as were ours) because many of them hardly ever left the field. Like us, Wood River has struggled with injuries all season and it appeared that their lack of depth was a challenge for them late in the game,” Gaswick said.
    The Eagles were better than expected up front, Gaswick said, and Caleb Paulk who leads Class C2 in receiving yards and yards per game was everything CCS expected and more.
    Despite Paulk’s 143 yards receiving, the Longhorns outgained Wood River through the air, 253-242, and held a 374-360 advantage in total yards.
    “It was nice to get to experience a new and challenging opponent and walk away with a win when we needed it most,” Gaswick said.
Up next
    The district champions plus the next nine teams in the point standings will make the playoffs.
    Malcolm, Bishop Neumann, Oakland-Craig, Norfolk Catholic, Hastings St. Cecilia, Ord and Mitchell currently lead the seven districts.
    With Valentine sitting 19th, the Longhorns, 13th in the standings, can expect the Badgers’ best shot when they travel to Imperial Friday. Especially after Valentine gave district leader and point standing number two Mitchell all it wanted last week before losing 20-21 in OT.
    Gaswick said Valentine is always a tough, physical opponent and has a good senior class.
    “They are definitely not a team to overlook and will give us everything that they have to offer,” Gaswick said, adding the Badgers have a good, experienced senior class that will be the majority of the players on the field.
    Besides Mitchell, Valentine has also lost to Class C1’s Chadron (5-3), O’Neill (4-4) and district foe Gordon-Rushville.
    The Badgers lost to Gordon-Rushville 13-33 on Sept. 30, the week after the Mustangs beat Chase County 19-14.
    If the Longhorns make the playoffs, first round games will be Friday, Oct. 28.

Class C2 point standings:
1. Hastings St. Cecilia (8-0), 45.1250
2. Mitchell (8-0), 44.8750
3. Ord (7-1), 44.6250
4. Malcolm (8-0), 44.2500
5. Norfolk Catholic (8-0), 43.8750
6. Bishop Neumann (7-1), 42.2500
7. Oakland-Craig (6-2), 42.2500
8. Battle Creek (6-2), 41.6250
9. Fillmore Central (6-2), 40.7500
10. Lincoln Lutheran (5-3), 40.7500
11. Cedar Catholic (6-2), 40.1250
12. Gordon-Rushville (5-3), 39.8750
13. Chase County (5-3), 39.6250
14. Yutan (5-3), 39.5000
15. Amherst (4-4), 39.2500
16. Wood River (5-3), 39.1250
19. Valentine (4-4), 38.5000
31. Hershey (1-7), 32.8750
District C2-7 in bold.