Wildcats win season finale; just miss playoffs

HOMER — Hartington-Newcastle got past Homer in its season finale, 45-24, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Wildcats were left on the outside looking in for this year’s Class D1 Football Playoffs.

In fact, Hartington-Newcastle was one spot from claiming a playoff berth.

Regardless of the disappointment after the game, the Wildcats took care of business on the field by turning away the Knights with a run through the middle of the contest.

Lane Heimes opened the scoring for the Wildcats and the game as he hauled in a punt at his own 21-yard line and went through and around the Knights for a 59yard touchdown.

Riley Sudbeck found Kale Korth on a two-point conversion pass and Hartington- Newcastle was in business, 8-0.

Homer scored the next two touchdowns to take a 14-8 lead early in the second quarter, but the Wildcats scored the next 24 points to go up 32-14 with 8:39 left in the third quarter.

Korth started the scoring with a run from the 10 with 4:40 left in the first half and then found the end zone from 31 yards out with 2:04 left for another score.

The Wildcats remained perfect on two-point conversion attempts after the scores with Sudbeck running the ball in after the first score and finding Dayton Sudbeck for two points after the second Korth touchdown.

In the third period, the Sudbecks connected again, but this time for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Riley then hit Kendryk Hinton for the conversion and the Wildcats were up by the 32-14 advantage.

The Knights kicked a field goal to end the third quarter, but Hartington-Newcastle responded with a Riley Sudbeck plunge from the three to make it 38-17 with 4:21 left in the game.

Hinton caught a pass from Sudbeck from 31 yards away with four seconds on the clock after a Homer touchdown.

Ayden Rosener booted the extra point and the final score was set.

Sudbeck had a very efficient night at quarterback, completing 6-of-7 passes for 65 yards and the two scores. Heimes was the workhorse in the backfield with 104 yards rushing and Korth added 64 yards and a touchdown.

Heimes was also a force on the other side of the ball, getting in on 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops.

Korth had 11 total tackles; Turner Dendinger and Cole Heimes each added seven stops.

The Wildcats finished the season with a 3-5 record after starting the campaign 0-4, going 3-1 down the stretch and losing only to undefeated Laurel-Concord-Coleridge. Homer 7 7 3 7 - 24 Hartington-Newcastle 8 16 8 13 - 45 FIRST QUARTER H-N: Lane Heimes 59 punt return, Kale Korth pass from Riley Sudbeck. 8:33. 8-0. H: 2 yard run, kick good. 4:32. 8-7. SECOND QUARTER H: 56 yard pass, kick good. 10:27. 8-14. H-N: Korth 10 run, Sudbeck run. 4:40. 16-14. H-N: Korth 31 run, Dayton Sudbeck pass from R. Sudbeck. 2:04. 24-14. THIRD QUARTER H-N: D. Sudbeck 20 pass from R. Sudbeck, Kendryk Hinton pass from R. Sudbeck. 8:39. 32-14. H: 24 yard field goal. :46. 32-17. FOURTH QUARTER H-N: R. Sudbeck 3 run, pass failed. 4:21. 38-17. H: 1 yard run, kick good. 1:33. 38-24. H-N: Hinton 31 pass from R. Sudbeck, Ayden Rosener kick. :04. 45-24.