Sept. 18 was a strange night, but it was a good night for the Seward football team.
After two lightning delays that pushed the game’s finish into the wee hours of the morning, Seward emerged with a 28-7 win over McCook, the first win of the season for SHS.
The first lightning delay came with 9:29 to play in the second quarter and SHS leading 7-0. The delay lasted about 45 minutes, and the teams returned to the field. After about four plays, including a Bluejay touchdown, SHS Coach Jamie Opfer said, the teams headed back to the locker rooms for another delay.
Play finally resumed about 11 p.m., and the game ended about 12:30 a.m.
“It was a strange night, but really proud of the way the boys continued to fight throughout the night,” Opfer said.
Seward’s first points came on a 22-yard pass from Brayden Bremer to Brennan Burhoop on a double move, Opfer said. Landon Pelster’s point-after kick made the score 7-0.
In the second quarter, Kolten Green carried the final yard of a drive for six points. A Pelster PAT pushed the lead to 14-0.
McCook cut the lead in half on a 62-yard pass and point-after kick. Green pushed the lead back to two touchdowns on a 29-yard pass from Bremer. Seward’s final score came on a seven-yard run by Carter Hanes in the fourth quarter.
Bremer finished with seven completions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Green carried 18 times for 105 yards and caught three passes for 74 yards.
On defense, 17 Bluejays were listed on the stat chart for tackles. Dakota Matulka led the way with nine. Henry Johnsen had eight, and Green finished with six tackles, two quarterback hurries and a blocked punt. Riley Jacobsen and Burhoop each intercepted a pass, and Burhoop and Owen Evans recovered fumbles.
The Bluejays (1-3) will try to keep the momentum going with a trip to Gretna (4-0) Friday, Sept. 25. The Dragons beat Elkhorn 10-7 Sept. 18.
