The chips seemed to be stacked against the Seward Bluejays Aug. 25. SHS played Norris, ranked No. 7 by the Lincoln Journal Star that week.
In addition, the Titans were coming off a 42-21 win over then No. 5 Blair, while Seward was playing its first game.
Lady Luck smiled on the Bluejays, however. On fourth and one with less than 30 seconds to play, the SHS defense held Norris out of the endzone and sent the Titans home on the short end of a 14-7 score.
“I know that fatigue was a factor this past week with it being our first game and having limitations on our ability to practice outside the past week, but we overcame our mistakes and fatigue to make a fourth and goal stop to seal the win,” Coach Jamie Opfer said.
Seward forced six Norris turnovers in the game – three interceptions and three fumbles – and capitalized on one of them.
After a second-quarter interception, Seward went 47 yards in seven plays and scored on a 10-yard run by Edison Knott.
The Jays had some young players see varsity action against Norris. Sophomore Tresten Hass made his first start at quarterback and completed 23 of 32 passes for 185 yards. He also carried 12 times for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Knott had a big night on both sides of the ball. He carried 13 times for 40 yards and a touchdown, intercepted two Norris passes and recovered a fumble to go with five solo tackles and three assists.
Opfer said seniors Josh Ringler and Cole Luebbe also had big games. Ringler had three solo tackles and one assist, and Luebbe made seven catches for 84 yards and recovered a fumble.
The coach said SHS made some mistakes on the offensive side of the ball with penalties that took the team out of scoring position.
“Our guys put a lot of work into this year around, and I am so proud of our ability to persevere through all of the circumstances that occurred in the game,” Opfer said. “I know that we will grow a lot as a team from this first game and am looking forward to the team we can become in the following weeks.”
The Jays (1-0) will be at Lincoln Pius X Friday, Sept. 1. The Thunderbolts are 1-1 with a win over Lincoln Northwest and a loss last week to Scottsbluff.
“It’s going to be a physical battle,” Opfer said. “We will need to play better this week to get the win. Their QB is an exceptional passer, and their offensive and defensive lines are big and physical. It’s a tough match up, but we are excited for the opportunity to get better this week and play a great opponent.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
