Tyler Perry of Centennial (51) sacks Cole Schaedel of Lincoln Lutheran during the Class C2 semifinals Nov. 10.
Centennial's Jackson Hirschfeld (3) and Reece Foreman (7) team up to bring down the Lincoln Lutheran ballcarrier Nov. 10.
Centennial quarterback Wyatt Ehlers getts through the Lincoln Lutheran defense Nov. 10 during the Class C2 semifinals.
Gavin Avery of Centennial (38) dives for extra yardage against Lincoln Lutheran Nov. 10.
Cooper Gierhan (16), Cole Gocke (70) and Sid Farley (24) of Centennial combine for the tackle of Lincoln Lutheran's Cole Schaedel Nov. 10.
Caleb Cast of Centennial (57) makes sure Lincoln Lutheran's Zach Clausen goes nowhere on this play Nov. 10.
For the first time in four decades, Centennial has a chance at a state football title. The Broncos beat Lincoln Lutheran 33-20 in the Class C2 semifinals Nov. 10 to advance to the finals.
Coach Evan Klanecky said it’s not just the players who are excited about the chance to play at Memorial Stadium, a place he never got to play in as a player.
“It’s the pinnacle for the players. It’s the pinnacle for the coaches,” he said.
He said two members of his coaching staff played at Memorial Stadium, but no one has coached there. They’re trying to treat the game as just another game.
“The guys will do well. They’re excited,” he said. “There’s so much hype. I want them to be excited and soak it in.
“Now we’re here. Now we have to reset our goals. Now we want to win.”
The Broncos will line up against a familiar foe Tuesday, Nov. 21. Centennial (12-0) will play Yutan (9-3), the team it beat in the second week of the season. Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m.
“We are familiar with them,” Klanecky said. “There will be wrinkles on each side. It’s a coin flip when we play. It’ll come down to who can make the least mistakes.”
In their first meeting, the Broncos took the lead late in the game and held on to win. Klanecky expects more of the same when the teams meet on Tom Osborne Field.
“It’ll be a hard hitting, fast, barn burner,” he said.
He’s looking forward to the chess match with Yutan’s coach. The Chieftains are physically bigger than the Broncos, but Klanecky likes Centennial’s versatility and all the different plays CHS can run.
He said the Broncos played well against Lincoln Lutheran in the semifinals. The team had two objectives – to stop the run and to limit the big plays. The Warriors finished with 10 yards rushing and had some big plays but not many, he said.
“Our defense played unbelievably good,” he said.
The x-factor in the game was the ground attack, who could gain more yards rushing. LLHS picked up 10. CHS picked up 273, led by 140 from Wyatt Ehlers and 126 from Gavin Avery.
“When you run the ball, you control the game,” Klanecky said. “It was a good group effort.”
He was happy with the play of the offensive line, which opened holes for the runners all night.
“Lincoln Lutheran was running a 4-1 set and they didn’t change,” he said. “That’s what they were giving us.”
The Broncos added two plays at halftime to take advantage of the space between the tackles, he said.
Senior Tyler Perry played an outstanding game, the coach said. The linebacker/center/place kicker had a sack and a tackle for loss, in addition to stepping in to kick point-afters.
“He is a playmaker,” Klanecky said. “He makes plays when he’s on the line.”
Freshman Cooper Gierhan helped keep the Broncos in control via the punting game. He averaged 33 yards on his four punts and kept Lincoln Lutheran pinned deep.
“Field position is a big part of games,” Klanecky said. “If you have a short field, that’s a confidence boost. Being up two scores seems like a big margin.”
He said field position may have made the Warriors more one-dimensional than they wanted to be.
