The Cyclones came up short in the annual rivalry game against Niobrara County on Friday.
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LUSK – A neck-and-neck dogfight between the Southeast High School Cyclones and the Niobrara County Tigers in Lusk on Friday, September 27 resulted in a 27-24 win for Niobrara County.
The lead switched back and forth quarter by quarter with Niobrara County scoring a final touchdown midway into the fourth quarter while the Tigers defense shut out Southeast’s subsequent possession.
“We came out flat and didn’t do a good job of stopping (Niobrara County) on the first drive, which gave them a boost,” coach Shawn Burkart said. “We need to work on getting going from the opening kickoff as once again, we didn’t play consistently enough on both sides of the ball. We had our good moments when we did the little things right and then we struggled when we didn’t.”
Niobrara County took the lead, 7-0, early in the opening quarter with a touchdown on the Tigers’ first possession.
The Southeast defense stepped up on Niobrara County’s second drive, shutting out the Tigers with tackles by senior Emmett Coxbill, senior William Knowlton and junior Liam Haas.
Southeast gained possession and drove the ball into the end zone. Senior quarterback Ayden Desmond kept the ball and sprinted 43 yards up the right for a touchdown. A good kick by junior Beaux Shimic resulted in a 7-7 stalemate.
A sustained drive by Southeast in the second quarter culminated in a 33-yard field goal by Shimic, pulling the Cyclones up, 10-7.
Niobrara County responded with a pick six and the Tigers regained the lead, 14-10, at halftime.
In the third quarter, Coxbill recovered a fumble by the Tigers on Niobrara County’s opening drive.
Taking possession, Desmond completed a pass to junior T.J. Moats in the end zone for the Cyclones’ third touchdown.
Shimic made good on the extra point and Southeast recaptured the lead, 17-14.
Niobrara County answered back in the third quarter with a touchdown to edge ahead, 21-17.
As the fourth quarter began, the Cyclones found themselves in possession. Junior Chase Sauer caught a pass from Desmond and sprinted across the field for a 55-yard play. Moats took the handoff and bulldozed the remaining yards into the end zone.
Shimic kicked in the extra point and Southeast took the lead, 24-21.
Niobrara reached the end zone on the Tigers’ ensuing drive to pull ahead, 27-24.
Overall, the Cyclones tallied 216 yards rushing, led by senior Carter Blevins with 81 yards on 18 carries. Desmond totaled 76 yards on nine carries. Desmond completed seven passes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Sauer caught two passes for 72 yards.
Defensively, Desmond led the Cyclones with 23 points. Coxbill collected 11 tackles and one fumble recovery. Knowlton posted 10 tackles with eight apiece by Sauer. Moats had two tackles for loss.
