Senior defensive back Kip Tupa started the fourth-quarter play between the hash marks Sept. 3 at Krantz Field.
At the snap, the Blair Bear drifted to his right, tracking the Elkhorn Mount Michael slot receiver racing downfield. The Knights threw the pass and Tupa jumped it, scoring 16 yards later when he dove to the pylon with the football in hand.
The pick-six pushed BHS' four-point lead into a two-score advantage. It won 27-10, improving to 1-1 this season.
“Offense was inconsistent and struggling to put points on the board,” Bears coach Bryan Soukup said. “Anytime you can get points from your defense in situations like that, it's big. Kip had a great game all-around. He's playing at a high level.”
Tupa and Livai Opetaia scored two touchdowns apiece as Blair bounced back from a 28-7 loss during the first week of the season. The Bears fell behind Mount Michael 7-0, but outscored the Knights 27-3 the rest of the way.
Opetaia scored first, running through a hole created by his offensive line and rumbling 28 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Minutes later, quarterback Bode Soukup hit Tupa for a 5-yard score as BHS built a 14-7 advantage.
Mount Michael added a third-quarter field goal before Tupa's interception — one of his two during the game — solidified Blair's lead. Opetaia added a 6-yard scoring run late and the Bears went into the Labor Day Weekend with a home win on Senior Night.
“We talked all week about improving in all three phases of the game this week in practice,” coach Soukup said a day after the game.
He felt his team accomplished that after losing five turnovers in the opener.
“Defense got the job done and played sound football all four quarters (against Mount Michael),” he noted. “There was also improvement in special teams and offense as we were able to eliminate our own turnovers and take care of the ball.”
Next, BHS travels to Beatrice tonight. The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m.
“This week we really just need to continue to work on getting better and find ways to move the ball more effectively on offense,” Soukup said. “When you're a young team, every week of practice and experience is helpful. This team will continue to learn and get better.”
The Orangemen are 2-0 against 0-2 Ralston and Lexington. They beat the Rams 47-21 in their opener and the Minutemen 33-13 last week.
