Engulfed in celebratory chaos 99 years in the making, Zane Schwarz stepped out of a scrum of Pioneers and their supporters at Broken Bow High School.
The Fort Calhoun senior scaled his basketball team's bench onto the stage where the visiting team's bleachers sat and met his older brothers. They were just as elated as he was, tears forming in their eyes as they latched onto their own flesh and blood.
“We wouldn't be where we are today if wasn't for them bullying us in the driveway,” said Carsen Schwarz, Zane's twin brother and teammate.
On Monday night, the FCHS boys earned their program's first NSAA State Championship trip since 1923 with a 48-44 win against Gordon-Rushville in the Class C1 District 8 Final. Their's used to be the longest drought in Nebraska high school basketball.
“In the last one, I don't know if we had electricity,” Pioneers coach TJ O'Connor said after the dramatic win. “Ninety-nine years is a long time.”
And the Fort Calhoun faithful had no intention of missing the moment its team made history. The Schwartz and O'Connor families filled their seats, but so too did so many more even with 215 miles separating Broken Bow from home.
Before the district final was even able to begin, one of the host school's officials picked up the microphone and informed FCHS fans that both sides of bleachers were open to them. The Pioneers had less seating available to them to start, but they easily outnumbered those from Gordon-Rushville once everyone had field in.
“We love representing Fort Calhoun,” O'Connor said.
The Mustangs (21-4 overall) arrived in hopes of their own breakthrough Monday. They've never reached the state tournament as a consolidated school and the towns they represent hadn't qualified a boys team since 1960.
Led by 6-foot-6 Jace Nelson's 13 points, Gordon-Rushville gave FCHS a battle. Both squads wanted it.
“Hell of a team,” Zane Schwarz said.
“They came right at us and we came right at them,” Carsen added. “Me and their big man were going back-and-forth all night.
“It was definitely postseason basketball.”
The teams played an even first period until Ellis Livingston's 3-pointer gave the Mustangs an 11-8 advantage through 8 minutes.
Glenn Hunter gave Fort Calhoun its only lead of the first-half, 15-14, on a second quarter 3-pointer, but Gordon-Rushville again had answers. The Pioneers trailed 23-20 at the halftime break despite 10 points from Carsen Schwarz.
The Mustangs' lead reached six points in the third period before O'Connor's squad went on a 9-2 run to end the third. Zane scored on an inbound under the basket before Glenn cleaned up his miss on a steal-and-score play.
Carsen then scored the next five points, giving his team a 35-34 advantage with an and-1 free throw make at the end of the third.
“They're seniors,” O'Connor said of the Schwarz brothers. “That's what we expect them to do.”
Gordon-Rushville took back the lead on Carter Anderson's 3-pointer, but Calhoun took it back. Carsen — on his way to a 20-point game — scored twice, the second coming on a bounce pass across the lane from Zane to go-ahead 39-37.
“I knew if the game was close late, those guys and Grayson (Bouwman) would make plays,” O'Connor said. “I just knew they would. Our guys knew they would.”
The Pioneers led from there, closing out the win at the foul line. Carsen Schwarz scored his last point from there with 1:41 to go. Before the shot, his brother went forehead-to-forehead with him, giving encouragement.
“'Make it or not, I love you,'” Zane recalled saying. “And I knew he would. We've just been finding strength in each other all year. That's who we are.”
Bouwman, a sophomore, would sink the district title clinchers with 7.4 seconds to go after Nelson missed what could have been the go-ahead 3-pointer. The FCHS guard was fouled at the opposite end of the floor, took one deep breath and walked calmly down to the charity stripe.
“I've shot a lot of free throws, and I just knew that this was the time I needed to make them,” he said. “I mean, when I was little I'd always, when I'd shoot, say, like, 'To tie at state. To make it to state.'”
It came true Monday night in Broken Bow. Bouwman's second make pushed the Pioneers' lead from two to four points, effectively ending Gordon-Rushville's hopes.
“(Bouwman) earns it because of what he puts in, the time he puts in,” O'Connor said. “He's in the gym all day. Every day.”
The Pioneers, meanwhile, earned their first state tournament berth in nearly a century.
“This is just what we've been dreaming for,” senior starter Owen Newbold said. “It means so much to us.”
They did it as a team, Zane Schwarz said.
“Stronger together,” he noted. “That's who we have been. That's our identity.”
It wasn't just players and coaches either. Fort Calhoun showed up a 3-hour-plus drive from home and cheered into the night.
“There's nothing like this energy,” Bouwman said. “This town is going crazy.”
Three years ago, O'Connor and his family joined FCHS. The coach thanked the administration, his wife for her sacrifices and his children. Brecken and Eli O'Connor are team managers, constants at practices and on the bench at games.
“We're Fort Calhoun,” O'Connor said. “This is our community. We're so excited to be here and represent it.”
CLASS C1 SUBDISTRICT 8 FINAL
Monday at Broken Bow High School
No. 9 Fort Calhoun 48, No. 8 Gordon-Rushville 44
FCHS (20-5) 8 12 15 13 —48
G-R (21-4) 11 12 11 10 — 44
Scoring: FCHS — Carsen Schwarz 20, Grayson Bouwman 12, Zane Schwarz 7, Glenn Hunter 5, Austin Welchert 4.
G-R — Jace Nelson 13, Logan Slama 9, Paul Lynch 7, Ellis Livingston 5, Logan Daringer 4, Donovan Fillmore 3, Carter Anderson 3.
