It took just 3 minutes of game time for the Blair Bears to flip a seven-point deficit into a two-score lead Friday night at Omaha Bryan High School.
Facing off against Class B No. 9 Omaha Gross, coach Bryan Soukup's BHS football team earned a safety defensively, tallied a special teams touchdown and scored again on a 20-yard passing strike during the end of the second and beginning of the third quarters.
The Bears (2-2 overall) won after four 12-minute periods, too, 22-7.
“We played well in all three phases of the game,” Soukup said after the successful road trip.
Trailing 7-0, Blair's fortunes changed with 1:32 left in the first half. It'd just failed on fourth down inside the Cougars' 5 yard line, but the Bears' defense made up for it.
On first down, senior lineman Braden McGill earned a tackle for loss. Then, on second, he sacked Gross quarterback Colby Duncan in the end zone for a safety after Ben Holcomb first applied pressure from his linebacker spot.
The senior applied even more pressure on the Cougars during the next play — a short kickoff. Holcomb picked it up off of the turf, found the hole and followed his blockers for a 67-yard score.
With still 35 seconds left in the first half, the Bears led 9-7.
“The safety was big,” Soukup said. “Then, to get the return was a nice way to go into halftime, especially knowing we got the ball coming out for the second half.”
BHS didn't squander its first drive after halftime, either.
Starting on their own 35 yard line, the Bears opened what would be a 65-yard march with a 16-yard Brock Templar run into Gross territory. They later capped it with a 20-yard Bode Soukup passing strike to Brady Brown for a 16-7 advantage.
In total, Blair scored three times in less than 3 minutes of game to take control against the ninth-ranked Cougars. It'd score again in the fourth quarter, too, when Templar all but sealed the Bears' second win of the season with a 67-yard, tackle-breaking touchdown jaunt.
When all was said and done, BSDN Live's Brian Abrahams credited the running back with more than 200 rushing yards, unofficially.
“We're starting to be the offense we knew we could be coming into the season,” coach Soukup said after the 15-point win. “One that can run and pass well, and make a defense cover the entire field.”
The Bears next compete Friday against Elkhorn Mount Michael in their homecoming game at Krantz Field. BHS is scheduled to honor the 1973 football team during the home event, which is set to kickoff at 7 p.m.
BLAIR 22, No. 9 OMAHA GROSS 7
BHS (2-2) 0 9
OG (2-2) 0 7 0 0 — 7
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
OG: No. 14 9-yard run, No. 85 PAT
B: Braden McGill tackle for a safety
B: Ben Holcomb 67-yard kick return, Blaise Baughman PAT
Third Quarter
B: Brady Brown 20-yard pass from Bode Soukup, Baughman PAT
Fourth Quarter
B: Brock Templar 67-yard run, PAT failed
