Offensive explosion

VERDIGRE - A rather sketchy start turned into a runaway here Sept. 20 when Hartington-Newcastle won its fourth game in as many tries, this one over Niobrara/Verdigre, 70-6.

The Cougars opened the game with a blocked punt they took to the house to take an early lead over the unbeaten Wildcats, but it was all Hartington-Newcastle from there as Cole Heimes had a game for the ages and the Wildcats have become the talk of northeast Nebraska, and why not?

Take into account, HNS has beaten three opponents while scoring 70 points per game and has allowed just two touchdowns in the past three games, one of those the blocked punt, and has an average scoring victory of 70 to 11.5 points per game, it kind of adds up.

“We got off to a slow start with the punt block,” Hartington-Newcastle coach, Rusty Fuller said. “We had some misalignment with our defensive line but once we got everything figured out we played really well.”

Heimes sparked the Wildcat comeback and then some as the senior quarterback completed 8-of-10 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns, oh, and he ran for another 135 yards and three touchdowns. Not a bad afternoon’s work.

“Cole Heimes had a huge night throwing the ball as they (Niobrara/Verdigre) were really keying on our running game,” Fuller said.

Four of Heimes’ aerials found the hands of Cole Rosener who accumulated 135 yards in receiving and accounted for three of the touchdown tosses.

After the punt block, Heimes rambled in from 27 yards out to even the score then hit Mason Krause on a conversion pass to take the lead for good early in the first quarter.

He found Rosener for the next Wildcat score from 24 yards away then ran in the 2-point try then hit Carter Kelly for a 75yard score and by the end of the first 12 minutes, Hartington-Newcastle was in control, 22-6.

In the second frame, Heimes scored on the ground from the 24 and 19 and found Rosener through the air from the 24 and the Cougar 5-yard line to send the team to intermission with the Wildcats in front, 50-6, to start the continuous clock in the second half.

Rosener score on the ground in the third before Will Fielmeier scored on a 24-yard run in the fourth and Austin Sudbeck took off on a 49-yard scamper before the final whistle to set the 70-6 final score.

Hartington-Newcastle will take its 4-0 record into a showdown with 3-1 Crofton at Russ Hochstein Field at the Hartington Community Athletic Complex.

The Warriors lone loss was to Summerland, also 3-1, 32-28 in the second game of the season.

“We are really looking forward to our game with Crofton Friday night,” Fuller said.

H-N (4-0) 22 28 6 14 - 70 N/V (1-3) 6 0 0 0 - 6 FIRST QUARTER

N/V: Coy Wickersham 15 yard punt block return, PAT no good. 10:20. 0-6. H-N: Cole Heimes 27 run, Mason Krause pass from Heimes. 7:11. 8-6. H-N: Cole Rosener 24 pass from Heimes, Heimes run. 5:19. 16-6. H-N: Carter Kelly 75 pass from Heimes, PAT no good. 1:41. 22-6.

SECOND QUARTER

H-N: Heimes 24 run, PAT failed. 11:54. 28-6. H-N: Rosener 24 pass from Heimes, Heimes run. 10:18. 36-6. H-N: Heimes 19 run, Kayne Gratzfeld kick. 6:18. 43-6. H-N: Rosener 59 pass from Heimes, Gratzfeld kick. :00. 50-6.

THIRD QUARTER

H-N: Rosener 1 run, PAT no good. 7:00. 56-6.

FOURTH QUARTER

H-N: Will Feilmeier 24 run, PAT no good. 11:00. 62-6. H-N: Austin Sudbeck 49 run, Sudbeck run. 6:57. 70-6.

PASSING HNS: Cole Heimes 8-10 224 4TD. RECEIVING HNS: Cole Rosener 4-131 3TD; Carter Kelly 2-82 1TD; Mason Krause 1-3; Ashton Wakeley 1-8.

RUSHING HNS: Kayne Gratzfeld 1-10; Austin Sudbeck 4-27 1TD; Cole Heimes 13-135 3TD; Will Feilmeier 1-24 1TD; Cole Rosener 8-23 1TD; Brayden Lammers 3-15; Jason Heimes 2-8. Hartington-Newcastle Individual Tackles: Ty Opfer 11; Kayne Gratzfeld 1 1INT; Keatyn Arens 2 1FR 1INT; Austin Sudbeck 1 1INT; Cole Heimes 5 1INT; Ayden Rosener 2; Maximus McCray 1; Cole Rosener 5; Carter Kelly 2 1.5TFL; Mason Krause 1; Brayden Lammers 6 1TFL; Josiah Christensen 3; Cole Bensen 5 .5TFL; Jason Heimes 1; Ashton Wakeley 6; Cody Cavanaugh 1; Kyptin Collier 6; Wyatt Clark 1.