By Dennis Sharkey
The Tobacco Stick is back in Weston after the West Platte Blue Jays came from behind in the second half to beat North Platte 28-14 at home on Friday, Oct. 25.
West Platte Head Coach Taylor Gallagher holds the Tobacco Stick up for his team after the Jays reclaimed the trophy Friday night. DENNIS SHARKEY/Citizen Photo
The Jays trailed 7-0 at halftime after some mistakes and miscues in the first half, including a turnover that set up North Platte for a touchdown. The Panthers, like the Jays, made their own mistakes, which prevented them from taking advantage of opportunities.
West Platte started with the ball and turned it over on downs after being flagged for an illegal forward pass after the first down had already been picked up. However, the Panthers returned the ball by throwing an interception on the first play of their first drive.
Dylan Armstrong powered into the end zone for the first touchdown. DENNIS SHARKEY/Citizen Photo
The Jays’ offense started to move the ball into North Platte territory when quarterback Kane Cogan threw another interception, this time returning 32 yards to the West Platte 46-yard line. This time, the Panthers took advantage of the turnover, and on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, North Platte junior Dylan Armstrong got across the goal line for the game’s first score. The extra point kick was good, and with 4:05 left in the first quarter, North Platte had a 7-0 lead.
Both teams’ defenses played well in the first half, and each team punted the ball back and forth until late in the half when North Platte tried to go deep again, and the pass was intercepted. That was the fourth interception in the first half by both teams. Nothing came of it, and the game was one score at halftime.
Alex Kinslow intercepts a deep pass over the middle. DENNIS SHARKEY/Citizen Photo
North Platte got the ball to start the second half, and like in its first possession of the game, a deep pass was intercepted by the Jays’ Alex Kinslow, who returned it to the North Platte 38-yard line. This time, the Jays would take advantage of the miscue, and senior Afton Buckler scored the first of his two touchdowns on a four-yard run.
The Panthers answered on the ensuing possession with a long touchdown drive that was aided by a 53-yard run up the middle by North Platte sophomore Logan Manville that set up the Panthers with a first and goal at the West Platte eight-yard line.
Jhett Chandler tosses the ball to the referee after scoring on a pass play. DENNIS SHARKEY/Citizen Photo
The Jays started their next drive at the 16-yard line after the returner made a mistake and stepped out of bounds on the sideline. However, wanting to seize the momentum back, the Jays’ offense went on an 84-yard drive that chewed up almost four minutes of the clock and ended with Cogan finding Jhett Chandler on a five-yard touchdown pass. The kick was good, and the game was tied at 14-14 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
The Panthers’ offense started to move the ball into West Platte territory on the ensuing possession, but the drive stalled, and North Platte punted back to the Jays, who then went on a 74-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 22-yard run by Cogan to give West Platte its first lead of the game with just under eight minutes left in the game. The kick was blocked by the Jays led 20-14.
On the Panthers’ next drive, a first down was picked up on a fourth and one play, but North Platte fumbled on the next play, giving the ball back to the Jays at the North Platte 45-yard line. Four running plays to Buckler were all West Platte needed to take a 26-14 lead on his second touchdown run, this one nine yards. Buckler concluded the scoring with a two-point conversion run.
“We were able to settle down, make some slight adjustments at halftime, and get things shored up, and I’m really proud with the way the kids stuck with it,” Jays Head Coach Taylor Gallagher said after the game. “They were doing a lot of little things which we prepared for but were bouncing in and out of fronts and blitzed from the edge a little more than what we were prepared for. We just talked about the basic rules of our protections and what we were trying to do and just settle down, and that was the key.”
The Jays end the regular season with a 3-6 record that is a lot better than it looks on the surface, according to Gallagher. The Jays beat three teams they lost to last year, including North Platte, and played a much tougher non-conference schedule to go along with a tough conference that includes Class 2 schools. However, Friday night’s win over its rival is a special way to end the regular season.
“We’ve kept the trains on the tracks even though we play in a hard conference,” Gallagher said. “It’s hard to beat some of those schools year in and year out, especially when you’re one of the little guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun to get that stick painted blue again, and I’m happy for these seniors that get to put it in the trophy case.”
