Elkhorn football coach Mark Wortman was smiling Friday night, but even he had to admit he was gritting his teeth, too.

His Class B No. 3 Antlers survived five turnovers and two miscues on punts, pulling out a 21-20 win over fourth-ranked Blair by scoring a touchdown in the final 30 seconds at Elkhorn Stadium.

Quarterback Caleb Wallingford found tight end Michael Weber in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down pass that went for a 9-yard TD.

“I got hit at the very beginning,” Wallingford said. “I just saw him. He threw his hand up in the back of the end zone. I thought I’d lob it up there and let him catch it.”

The ensuing extra point gave Elkhorn its first lead of the game with 27 seconds to play. Blair moved to the Antler 39-yard line, but a 59-yard field-goal attempt was well short as the game ended.

“This team ... ahead or behind, they don’t give up,” Wortman said. “It was two good football teams, and someone’s got to lose. We just felt like if we kept going good things sometimes happen.”

The Antlers lost four fumbles and Wallingford threw an interception. All of Blair’s points came off turnovers, including a snap over the punter’s head that gave the Bears the ball at the 1-yard line.

Ryan Randall crashed in one play later to put Blair up 20-7 in the closing stages of the third quarter. Elkhorn then went 50 yards on three plays early in the fourth quarter, finishing with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Wallingford to Pete Maloley.

Blair had an opportunity to run out the clock but recovered its own fumble in the backfield on a second down to waste one play. The Antlers eventually got the ball back at their 37 and marched to the Blair 9-yard line, converting two third downs and getting another first down on a pass interference call.

After Jeremy Meyer was stuffed for no gain on third-and-short, Wallingford delivered his TD pass. “I thought he was sacked,” Wortman said. “I thought it was over.”

When it finally was, Blair coach Darren Harsin was steaming mad over what he thought was a roughing-the-kicker penalty that wasn’t called on the final attempt. His team was flagged for 90 yards in penalties, a week after racking up 122.

“Our kids played their hearts out,” Harsin said. “They deserved to win, and there were a lot of questionable calls that didn’t go our way. I don’t have much more to say.

“They played their hearts out. I could not fault them. They played their hearts out and we had some calls that were just tough to overcome.”

Randall went for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. His 5-yard scamper came two plays after Elkhorn fumbled on its opening possession. But the ensuing extra point was missed.

Blair had 200 total yards, 50 of which came on a first-quarter pass. The Bears mustered just 62 after the break. They turned the ball over three times in the first half, including a fumble by Randall near the Elkhorn goal line.

“Blair is obviously a darn good football team,” Wortman said. “It’s one of those things that, they’re a good team, but we made some mistakes, too.”

Wallingford finished 14 of 24 for 174 yards and two touchdown passes. Meyer carried 25 times for 87 yards.

Blair (1-1)........................13 0 7 0—20
At Elkhorn (2-0)......................0 7 0 14—21
B: Ryan Randall 5 run (kick failed).
B: Jake Schany 5 run (Sean Wade kick).
E: Jeremy Meyer 2 run (Cody Pullen kick).
B: Randall 1 run (Wade kick).
E: Pete Maloley 6 pass from Caleb Wallingford (Pullen kick).
E: Michael Weber 9 pass from Wallingford (Pullen kick).

Contact the writer:

850-0781, nickrubek@hotmail.comContact the writer:

850-0781, nickrubek@hotmail.com

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