Second-half rally lifts Elmwood-Murdock

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BY BRENT C. WAGNER / Lincoln Journal Star

ELMWOOD — They’ve had some pretty good football teams throughout the years at Elmwood-Murdock High School.

After all, you don’t make the playoffs eight straight years by being a bunch of slackers.

But none of those teams reached 11 wins, like the Knights did this season with a 20-12 victory against Laurel-Concord in the quarterfinals of the Class C-2 state playoffs Monday. Elmwood-Murdock advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2004.

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Nathan Hohman (34) of Elmwood-Murdock tries to get away from two Laurel-Concord defenders during Monday’s Class C-2 playoff quarterfinal game in Elmwood. (Heidi Hoffman)

Nathan Hohman (34) of Elmwood-Murdock tries to get away from two Laurel-Concord defenders during Monday’s Class C-2 playoff quarterfinal game in Elmwood. (Heidi Hoffman)

And had you told Knights coach Leigh Schmale this would be the team to reach 11 wins he may not have believed you.

“At the start of the season we thought we could have a good team, but if you tell me this group is going to the semifinals, I would have had a hard time believing it,” Schmale said. “We had 13 seniors graduate, and two all-staters.

“We knew we had four or five players coming back that were decent, but to match last year and do better is a pleasant surprise.”

Win No. 11 didn’t come easy for the second-ranked Knights (11-0). Elmwood-Murdock scored 14 unanswered points in the second half after trailing Laurel-Concord (7-4).

The Knights’ rallied from a 12-6 halftime deficit thanks to a momentum-changing reception by Lance Steffen, by slowing a Bears’ offense that had success in the first half and converting 6 of 7 third down in the second half.

Senior quarterback Jon Luetchens scored all three touchdowns for the Knights, on 20-, 9- and 1-yard runs. His 1-yard TD four minutes into the third quarter gave the Knights the lead for good. 

Laurel-Concord had 44 seconds to go 56 yards on its final drive of the game. The Bears gained 18 yards but couldn’t complete one final pass from the Knights’ 34 as time expired.

Luetchens attempted only six passes, but one of his three completions was key. His 70-yard pass to Steffen on a third- and-12 deep in Knight territory changed the momentum.

Elmwood-Murdock scored four plays later to take a 14-12 lead.

“That gave us new life,” Schmale said. “If there was ever a series that gave us a lift that was it.”

Also key in the second half  was slowing Bears’ running back Justin Hart. Hart, who finished  just shy of 2,000 yards rushing this season, had 79 yards and two TDs in the first half. In the second half, he was dropped for losses on three of his four rushes.

After amassing 178 yards of offense in the first half, the Bears were held to 46 yards after halftime.

Linebackers Nathan Hohman and Tyler Schmale both made big stops behind the line of scrimmage for Elmwood-Murdock, Leigh Schmale said.

“We were ashamed of our effort on defense in the first quarter, and we went out there and were a lot more aggressive in the second half,” said Steffen, also a middle linebacker.

Laurel-Concord had a long drive going in the fourth quarter before it stalled.

Bears’ coach Terry Beair considered a fake punt, but says he’s become known for such things and figured Elwood-Murdock might expect it.

So the Knights got the ball and put together a 10-play, 73-yard drive that took five minutes off the clock. That left Laurel-Concord only 44 seconds to attempt to tie the game at the finish.