• Photo Showcase: Friday night football

* * *

Crete rolled to its second straight football victory Friday night, and this one was personal.

The visiting Cardinals, ranked No. 1 in Class B, blasted Omaha Skutt 40-0 in front of an estimated 2,000 fans. The ninth-ranked SkyHawks defeated Crete twice last season, including a second-round win in the state playoffs that ended the Cardinals' season.

“They beat us 33-0 in the first game and then knocked us out of the playoffs,'' senior Ben Muff said. “We were out for a little revenge.''

Muff, one of 17 returning starters for Crete, played a major role in the demolition of the SkyHawks. He scored three touchdowns — one on a 78-yard run, another on a 100-yard interception return and a third on a 55-yard pass from junior quarterback Derek McGinnis.

“Ben is a special player,'' Cardinals coach Chuck McGinnis said. “Not only can he outrun you, but he's a big, strong kid.''

The game was marred by an injury to Skutt senior tight end Brandon Kathol, who took a big hit in the Crete secondary midway through the second quarter. He was taken from the field by ambulance, but Omaha Skutt Athletic Director Mike McMahon said team trainers were optimistic that the injury was not serious.

Crete, which had defeated Grand Island Northwest 52-3 in its season opener, went ahead of Skutt on the fourth play of the game. Muff took the ball on an end around, sprinted down the sideline past the SkyHawks' bench and outraced the defense for the score. That was the first big chunk of yardage for the Cardinals, who amassed 300 rushing yards in the first half and 434 for the game.

Senior running back Brock Sherman, who finished with 196 rushing yards, scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to extend Crete's lead to 20-0. He went 10 yards right up the middle for one TD and then went back up the middle on a 5-yard touchdown about a minute before halftime.

Skutt had its best chance to score on its final possession of the first half, marching from its 39 to the Crete 2-yard line. But on a third-and-2 pass attempt by quarterback Josh Pudlowski, Muff picked it off at the goal line and had clear sailing ahead of him.

“That was a gift,'' he said. “The second I caught it, I knew I was gone.''

The final play of the half was a mental downer for the SkyHawks, who were outyarded 339-63 in the first two quarters.

“I was proud of our defense,'' coach McGinnis said. “I thought our kids played extra hard.''

The Cardinals added to their lead on their first possession of the second half. Derek McGinnis, son of the head coach, lobbed a pass downfield that the ubiquitous Muff caught in stride for a 55-yard touchdown.

Running behind Nebraska recruit Ryne Reeves (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) and the rest of the offensive line, Crete rolled up 553 yards in total offense. Skutt, which finished with 104 yards of offense, dropped to 0-2 after finishing as the Class B state runner-up last year.

The SkyHawks also got beaten up: Three players, including Kathol, were forced to leave the game with injuries.

“We tried to talk about the fact this was a new year,'' coach McGinnis said, “but I'm sure (last year's) playoff loss to Skutt was in the back of our kids' minds.

“We just told them not to look at the scoreboard and to keep playing hard.''

Crete (2-0)..................6 20 7 7—40
Om. Skutt (0-2).................0 0 0 0— 0
C: Ben Muff 78 run (kick failed)
C: Brock Sherman 10 run (pass failed)
C: Sherman 5 run (Derek McGinnis run)
C: Muff 100 interception return (run failed)
C: Muff 55 pass from McGinnis (Ethan Renner kick)
C: McGinnis 11 run (Renner kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: C, Brock Sherman 29-196, Ben Muff 2-94, Derek McGinnis 6-23, Ansel Whittle 2-31, Aaron Paulsen 6-32, Ross Van Horn 6-26, Colton Steer 1-2, Alex Moore 2-3, Corey Hintz 1-27; OS, Josh Pudlowski 4-30, Carson Cederberg 7-28, Alex Thoma 2-0, Spencer Secor 1-0, Phillip Rasmussen 1- (minus 3).
PASSING: C, Derek McGinnis 4-6-0 119; OS, Josh Pudlowski 4-15-2 49, Nick Bies 0-2-0 0.
RECEIVING: C, Mitch Marvin 3-64, Ben Muff 1-55; OS, Matt Miller 2-30, Jake Sievers 1-15, Tim Durkin 1-4.

Contact the writer:
444-1350, mike.patterson@owh.com

Contact the writer:

444-1350, mike.patterson@owh.com

* * *

• Video: Highlights from the Crete-Omaha Skutt game:

« High Schools

Share