Friday's game at Fort Calhoun High School capped four years of Pioneers football for the senior class.
“Winning and stuff is awesome, but spending it with all of these awesome people is even better,” defensive back Zach Nelson said.
FCHS came back from a 19-7 deficit to beat Boys Town in the season finale, 32-25. The Pioneers end 2022 4-5 overall with two victories coming during the last two weeks of the season.
“I'm just very grateful for this moment,” said Nelson, a three-year starter.
Classmate Joe Doyle was in a similarly appreciative mood as coach Adolph Shepardson's team celebrated at midfield well after time ran out on the Cowboys.
“It's just, probably, the coolest thing ever,” the lineman said. “It's something else to see how much we've improved through the year.”
Boys Town (3-6 overall) won the first quarter 13-7, but a heads up play by senior Avery Quinlan allowed the home team within one score after 12 minutes.
Down 6-0, Wyatt Appel caught a pass downfield from Austin Welchert, but fumbled. The Cowboys appeared in prime position to recover the ball, but Quinlan didn't allow it.
“I was, like, 'Oh crap,'” the 12th-grader said. “'Wyatt dropped it. I've got to go hit this kid so somebody can recover it and I hope somebody does.' That was my exact thoughts.”
The Pioneer pulled the Boys Town defender off of the loose ball and offensive lineman Alex Schuler recovered it, giving Welchert the chance to score on a 10-yard run later in the drive.
The Cowboys scored the next two touchdowns and went ahead by 12 in the second quarter, but FCHS' passing game kept it in the contest. Welchert passes to juniors Grayson Bouwman and Preston Johnson set up Bouwman's 7-yard touchdown catch with 4:47 left in the first half.
“We just came into the game knowing that we were going to be able to pass a lot because of the formation they played in,” Welchert said. “And, coach called great plays.”
Pioneer coaches dialed up a short kickoff to start the second half, too. It bounced off of a Boys Town blocker and Andrew Namuth recovered it.
With momentum on Calhoun's side, Welchert threw a jump ball up to Bouwman for 36 yards on first down. From there, Quinlan scored on a 5-yard run to even the score at 19-19.
The Cowboys took their last lead midway through the third quarter, but the Pioneers took it back on another 10-yard connection between Welchert and Bouwman in the south end zone. Jose Soriano's extra-point kick put the Pioneers ahead for good, 26-25.
Welchert added a 2-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown with 4:09 left and later intercepted a Boys Town pass to close out the victory.
“This win just feels amazing,” the QB said. “To go out on a win, it's awesome.”
After reaching the Class C1 playoffs in 2021, the Pioneers started 2-5 this fall before back-to-back wins against Omaha Concordia and the Cowboys to close out the season.
“Last year, we built the program up,” Quinlan said. “This year, it's starting to come up. Next year, I know it'll be up.”
It's an experience the team captain relishes.
“I'm just excited that we got to lay the foundation,” he said. “The kids under us are going to be amazing.”
