Down 21-0 within the first 19 minutes of the game, Blair could’ve folded against Class B No. 3 Elkhorn.
Instead, the Bears battled back. Ultimately falling by a score of 31-24, Blair forced the Antlers to put up with plenty of fight before they were able to get out of Krantz Field with a win.
“This is a team that can compete against some of the better teams in Class B,” Bears coach Bryan Soukup said. “That’s what I told the kids. This is the team we knew we had. I’m not a moral victory guy, you win games and you lose them, but this is progress in the right direction that we needed to see.”
Coming into the game, Blair’s only two losses were to top-ranked Bennington and No. 2 Omaha Gross. Only managing one touchdown in each of those games and losing by 38 and 27, respectively, there appeared to be a large gap in quality between that top tier of Class B programs and Blair.
On Friday night, that gap closed considerably.
With no time left on the clock before halftime, Bears quarterback Bode Soukup evaded the pass rush and tossed up a jump ball for trusted wideout J’Shawn Unger. In one-on-one coverage, Unger came down with the ball to get Blair on the board and send the squad to halftime with a slightly more manageable 21-6 deficit.
And manage it the Bears did, as they came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. Right out of the gate, Soukup hit Ben Holcomb for a large gain that put the team inside the Antlers’ 10-yard line. A few plays later, Soukup found Brock Templar for a wide open touchdown.
After a punt from Elkhorn and a couple plays on offense by Blair, Templar found a hole and took one to the house on a 41-yard dash. A two-point conversion attempt was successful by way of a Soukup-Holcomb connection, and just like that the Bears had tied the game up at 21 in a matter of roughly 5 minutes.
Elkhorn would respond with a great drive and a field goal to go up 31-21, and a 25-yard field goal by homecoming king Sergio Dominguez would put the Bears at 24, where they remained.
“I’m proud of (the team) tonight for the way they fought,” coach Soukup said. “Down 21-0 and to come back and be right there to the end, this is they type of team we knew we had. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
