Last-minute rally from transfer QB dooms Elks
By Chris Bennett
Sports correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School football team let one slip away Friday.
The Elks outplayed the Falcons in the first half, but left points on the field they later could have used in a 21-17 Southern Lakes Conference loss to Westosha Central at Paddock Lake.
Elkhorn (1-2, 0-1 SLC) plays arch rival Delavan-Darien tonight at home in a SLC contest.
Central (3-0, 1-0 SLC) took the lead for good with 36 seconds left in regulation. Quarterback Jaden Jackson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Myles Kazumura. The ensuing extra point gave Central a 21-17 lead, and left the Elks with little time to mount a comeback.
“We knew, with several opportunities, that they were going to hit one,” Elks coach Tom Lee said. “Unfortunately, there was too little time left on the clock to be able to answer.”
Elkhorn led Central 10-7 at halftime after a strong first half.
“We dominated the first half,” Lee said. “We had a short field the whole first half. We felt we should have 21 points on the board in the first half, and we ended up with 10.”
Central turned the ball over three times in the first half on an interception and two fumbles.
“We just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities presented in front of us,” Lee said. “We made a couple of mental mistakes, and had some missed assignments.”
An Elkhorn touchdown was called back due to a penalty. The Elks instead settled for a 26-yard field goal from Reece Prybylski, and took a 3-0 lead with 5:17 left in the first quarter.
Central scored its first points on a two-yard touchdown run from Nate Lemke, and took a 7-3 lead with 4:23 left in the second quarter. The Elks took a 10-7 halftime lead on an 80-yard kickoff return from Nick Rockweiler on the ensuing kickoff.
Elkhorn extended its lead to 17-7 on a three-yard touchdown run from Dakota Biefeld with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
Central cut the Elks lead to 17-14 with 2:17 left in the third quarter on a two-yard touchdown run from Lemke.
“We left points out there,” Lee said. “We talked about how to fix those issues. We just have to find a way to take advantage of those opportunities. You don’t get those opportunities all the time.
“We felt good about our play. Our intensity was great. The kids came off the ball and played hard. Some will say we gave up a touchdown with 36 seconds left, but we lost the game in the first half.”
Biefeld rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries and Mohr rushed for 69 yards on 22 carries. After playing with a short field in the first half and getting a touchdown on special teams, the Elks finished with just 181 yards of offense.
Elkhorn’s next opponent, Delavan-Darien, lost 35-7 last Friday in a SLC game at home against Wilmot.
“Their threat is their quarterback,” Lee said. They run a very similar offense to us. They will run traps, and it’s a read offense. The quarterback can throw and run, they’ve got a nice couple of running backs and receivers, and a good offensive line.”
Lee said the game between the two rivals is being hailed as The Hero Bowl. The student body at each school fundraised this week, and all proceeds are going to the Honor Flight.
