Wildcats run past Ainsworth in seasonopening shootout

HARTINGTON — Hartington-Newcastle needed just one game in the 2024 season to improve upon last year’s start.

To be fair, the Wildcats lost their first four games last season while getting acquainted with themselves and new coach, Rusty Fuller.

Fuller and company righted the ship last season with a four-game end of the season winning streak and are starting to continue the improvement as they opened this fall’s slate with a big 54-34 win over Ainsworth after falling behind early by double digits.

“We had a bit of a slow start, but we started to control the game with our run game,” Fuller said. “We really controlled the game all night after the slow start.”

Quarterback, Cole Heimes, and former cross country runner, Cole Rosener paced, well more like, electrified the Wildcat offense with 234 and 181 yards rushing in the contest and scored five and three times respectively to come away with the win over a team that went 8-0 in the regular season in 2023 and made it to the second round of the D2 playoffs.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the game with a safety on a bad snap by the Wildcats then extended the advantage just over three minutes later on a touchdown pass and conversion pass to go up 10-0 with eight minutes left in the first quarter. Then Heimes and Rosener got busy.

Heimes capped off a Hartington-Newcastle drive with a 3-yard touchdown then found Rosener in the end zone on the conversion pass play and the lead was down to 10-8 with just over three minutes left, still in the first.

Heimes then scored ealy in the second 12 minutes from nine yards out to give the Wildcats their first lead of the night 14-10.

Ainsworth answered just 16 seconds later with a 62-yard pass play and another conversion pass made it 18-14 in favor of the Bulldogs with 11:11 left before the intermission.

Rosener took over from there with a 50-yard scamper to the end zone then a 43-yard dash to pay dirt to give Hartington-Newcastle the lead for good, 26-18.

Heimes would score again before the half with 2:03 left before the halftime whistle and the teams went to the break with the Wildcats in front, 32-18.

Rosener came out of the break and bolted 68 yards for a touchdown and a conversion pass from Austin Sudbeck to Ty Opfer made the score 40-18 with 9:44 left in the third.

Ainsworth scored to make it 4026, but Heimes scored from the 21 then ran in the 2-point try and the lead was back up to 48-26.

Heimes scored for the fifth time in the ballgame in the fourth to make it 54-26 before Ainsworth got a cosmetic touchdown with just over five minutes left to get to the 54-34 final score.

The Hartington-Newcastle defense, led by Opfer with 12 tackles, Cole Bensen with nine and two tackles for losses and Brayden Lammers with eight and two behind the line, held Ainsworth’s potent offensive attack to just 117 yards on the ground and 131 yards through the air.

Heimes added nine tackles, Ayden Rosener had seven and a tackle behind the line, Logan Opfer had six and a tackle for loss and Carter Kelley and Ashton Wakeley split a tackle in the backfield.

Much of Heimes’ and Rosener’s success on the ground was attributed to the Wildcat offensive line.

“Our offensive line did a great job opening holes for our backs,” Fuller said. “And our backs did a great job following those blocks.”

The Wildcats will travel south on Sept. 6 when they head to Wakefield to take on the 0-1 Trojans.

Wakefield lost to Wausa/Osmond in its first game of the season 50-32.

“We’ll need to be ready to defend the pass against Wakefield,” Fuller said. “We’ll be ready.”

AINS (0-1) 10 8 8 8 - 34 H-N (1-0) 8 24 16 6 - 54

PASSING

HNS Cole Heimes, 3-10-45; Austin Sudbeck, 1-1-3; Cole Rosener, 1-1- -4.

RUSHING

HNS - Cole Heimes, 36-234; Cole Rosener, 8-181; Brayden Lammer, 1-5; Will Feilmeier, 2- -1.

RECEIVING

HNS - Will Feilmeier, 1-45; T. Opfer, 1-3; Cole Rosener, 2-0; Cole Heimes, 1 - -14.

TACKLES

HNS - Ty Opfer, 12; Cole Heimes, 9; Cole Bensen, 9; Brayden Lammers, 8; Aiden Rosener, 7; Logan Opfer, 6; Cole Rosener, 5; Carter Kelly, 2; Ashton Wakeley, 2; Aiden Collier, 2; Kyptin Collier, 2; Kayne Gratzfeld, 1; Keatyn Arens, 1; Jason Heimes, 1; Gabe Reyes, 1; Chris Kneifl, 1; Lincoln Grutsch, 1; Landon Clark, 1.

HNS AINSWORTH Rushing 47-419 8TD 37-117 2TD Passing 5-12 44 14-21 131 2TD TOTAL 59-463 58-248 FIRST QUARTER AIN: Team Safety. 0-2. 11:08.

AIN: Owen Blumenstock 15 pass from Chris Fernandez, Conversion pass good.

0-10. 8:00.

H-N: Cole Heimes 3 run, Cole Rosener pass from C. Heimes. 8-10. 3:03.

SECOND QUARTER H-N: C. Heimes 9 run, Conversion failed.

14-10. 11:27.

AIN: Morgan Kinney 62 pass from Fernandez, R. Salzman pass from Fernandez. 14-18. 11:11.

H-N: C. Rosener 50 run, Conversion failed. 20-18. 8:51.

H-N: C. Rosener 43 run, Conversion failed. 26-18. 5:25.

H-N: C. Heimes 3 run, Conversion failed.

32-18. 2:03.

THIRD QUARTER H-N: C. Rosener 68 run, Ty Opfer pass from Austin Sudbeck. 40-18. 9:44.

AIN: M. Kinney 6 run, M. Kinney run.

40-26. 4:36.

H-N: C. Heimes 21 run, C. Heimes run.

48-26. 2:18.

FOURTH QUARTER H-N: C. Heimes 19 run, Conversion failed. 54-26. 8:33.

AIN: M. Kinney 30 run, Logan Schroedl pass from Fernandez. 54-34. 5:03.