Crofton hands Wildcats first loss of the year

HARTINGTON - The Crofton Warriors came to town Sept. 27 with a 3-1 record and some momentum after winning two straight games over Plainview and Bloomfield, but the Hartington Wildcats entered the game unbeaten in their first four contests so something had to give.

As it turned out, nobody “gave” but Crofton did come away with a hard fought 34-14 win to send both teams home with 4-1 records.

“They are a good football team, give them credit,” Wildcat coach Rusty Fuller said. “But we just shot ourselves in the foot too many times to beat a team like them. We’ll learn from this and use it to get better.”

The teams knocked heads through the opening 12 minutes with Crofton finally breaking through for a 1-yard quarterback run with 38 seconds remaining in the first frame.

Cole Rosener broke loose a couple of minutes later on a 30-yard dash to the end zone and the Warrior lead was 8-6 after a conversion pass fell incomplete for HNS.

By the intermission, Crofton had found the end zone a couple of more times and the teams went to the break with Crofton in front, 20-6.

The Warriors would score the lone touchdown of the third quarter with 1:15 on the clock and the “Cole” train got things going to try to get back in the game.

Cole Heimes and Cole Rosener and a lot of big boys up front got the ball at their own 21 with 1:10 showing on the clock in the third quarter.

Rosener popped off a 20-yard run to just inside Crofton territory then Heimes broke free for 16 yards two plays later.

Heimes picked up 12 yards in two plays and the Wildcats were knocking at the door with first and goal at the 3-yard line.

Heimes took it in from there and only 54 seconds of the fourth quarter came off the clock.

Will Feilmeier grabbed a Heimes aerial for the two-point conversion and the Wildcats were back in the game.

Hartington-Newcastle’s defense held Crofton on its next possession and turned the ball over on downs when Ayden Rosener stuffed a fourth down run at the HNS 18.

The Wildcat offense couldn’t get anything going and turned the ball back to the Warriors at the Wildcats 26 and three plays later Crofton was in the end zone.

“We simply needed to play better,” Fuller said. “We would go on a drive then miss an assignment or get a penalty and it would stall out the drive. We’ll get better from this and maybe we’ll get another shot at them down the road sometime.”

“They’re (HNS) going to win some more football games, I’ll tell you that,” Crofton coach Tom Allen said. “That was a good football team we just beat tonight.”

The Wildcats are set to take on the Wausa-Osmond Vikings on Oct. 4 in Osmond.

CRO (4-1) 8 12 8 6 - 34 HNS (4-1) 6 0 0 8 - 14 FIRST QUARTER CRO: Tyson Jackson 1 run, Jace Panning run. :38. 0-8. SECOND QUARTER: H-N: Cole Rosener 30 run, pass no good. 10:35. 6-8. CRO: Panning 21 run, run no good. 8:13. 6-14. CRO: Jackson 7 run, run failed. 2:34. 6-20. THIRD QUARTER CRO: Jackson 6 run, Jack Miller pass from Jackson. 1:15. 6-28. FOURTH QUARTER H-N: Cole Heimes 3 run, Will Feilmeier pass from Heimes. 11:06. 14-28. CRO: Jackson 3 run, run no good. 4:17. 14-34.

HNS Rushing: Cole Heimes 22-69 1TD; Will Feilmeier 5-22; Cole Rosener 13-93 1TD.

HNS Passing: Cole Heimes 16-27 106. HNS Receiving: Will Feilmeier 6-46; Cole Rosener 5-25; Mason Krause 3-15; Brayden Lammers 2-20.

HNS Tackles: Ty Opfer 9; Cole Heimes 17 1 FR; Ayden Rosener 12 2TFL .5 SAC; Cole Rosener 5; Brayden Lammers 8; Cole Bensen 10; Ashton Wakeley 10 1TFL; Kyptin Collier 4 .5TFL; Cody Cavanaugh 1; Lincoln Grutsch 3 .5TFL .5SAC; Logan Opfer 1 1FR.