New field.
New coach.
New season.
The Fort Calhoun High School football team came back from 12 points down Friday to beat Nebraska City, 19-18, kicking off the 2023 schedule.
“I think it's a game to remember,” sophomore Pioneer Blake Welchert said.
The 5-foot-9, 155-pound back scored three rushing touchdowns, breaking tackle-after-tackle to lead Zach Byrd's squad to a Pioneer Bowl victory in the coach's black-and-orange debut. It happened at FCHS, where a summer-long field turf project was completed and officially ready for play 4 hours before kickoff, according to activities director Jamie Schleifer.
“I was really proud of our resiliency tonight, and our toughness mentally to just talk to each other and pick each other up,” Byrd said.
The hometown Pioneers started out behind their visitors when Nebraska City quarterback Austin Sterling connected with sturdy back Markus Nelson for a 61-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Two FCHS quarterback Adam Elofson completions to Preston Johnson, and a pass interference penalty, led to Welchert's 3-yard touchdown response with 31 seconds left in the first half. The runner wasn't necessarily content with his play during the 6-6 start, though.
“I kept trying to cut it back (inside) and there would just be three defenders there. I needed to get more north-and-south,” Welchert explained. “So, finally, they got tired and our line stepped up. I'll give that one to the line. They gave me some holes and I got through.”
First, though, the Pioneers from Nebraska City took an 18-6 lead during the third quarter. Sterling threw his second touchdown pass and Chris Blum intercepted an Elofson throw for a defensive score.
With a double-digit deficit on the scoreboard, it looked as if Fort Calhoun was headed to an 0-1 start to the fall. The Pioneers kept grinding out rushing yards, though, with Welchert and junior TJ DeMilt each carrying the ball.
“Guys just got more-and-more confident as we started to open up more-and-more running lanes,” Byrd said.
Welchert broke a long run, too, during the opening minute of the fourth quarter. After Grayson Bouwman's catch into Nebraska City territory, the sophomore took off on a 33-yard touchdown jaunt, breaking tackles along the way down the west sideline. The sophomore spun out of a last-ditch group effort by the purple and gold Pioneers, kept his feet and lunged into the end zone.
“I was just trying to get in there and I got in,” Welchert said.
“I'm still not sure how he stayed up on a couple of those,” Byrd added.
Still down 18-13, though, FCHS needed defensive stops. First, Welchert tackled Nebraska City's backup quarterback in the backfield to force a punt.
The visitors got their own stop and earned the ball back, but gave it up again when the Pioneers cut them down short on a fourth-and-3 play on Calhoun's side of the 50-yard-line.
“I think we swarmed well. We all went to the football,” said Levi Lasher, a junior member of the defensive secondary. “There was times where we're making tackles on the sidelines that are crucial to getting fourth-down stops.”
So, with just minutes left in the game, the Pioneers got the ball back for what turned into the game-winning drive from their own 34-yard-line. Welchert opened it with a 36-yard run before DeMilt earned another FCHS first down with a 10-yarder.
Elofson carried the ball down to the 11 next, setting up Welchert for the go-ahead scoring run across the goal line.
“I told him after the game, 'Way to put us on your shoulders, man,'” Byrd said.
From there, Fort Calhoun's defense earned a pair of stops during the last 150 seconds of game time. Lasher picked off a Nebraska City pass and Alex Christensen swatted down another fourth-down throw during the final minute.
“We stepped it up in the coverage game at the end,” Lasher said.
And it led to a home win — the Pioneers' first of a new season on their new field with their new coach, a Bennington grad.
“When I was a sophomore in high school, I heard that bell ring here,” Byrd said, referencing Calhoun's traditional victory bell next to the high school building. “I got my first varsity experience (here) and it's haunted me.”
Not Friday, though.
“Tonight, it was the sweetest sound I've ever heard,” the coach said after his players rang it to commemorate a 1-0 start. “I hope to hear it a lot more.”
FORT CALHOUN 19, NEBRASKA CITY 18
NC (0-1) 0 6 12 0 — 18
FCHS (1-0) 0 6 0 13 — 19
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
NC: Markus Nelson 61-yard pass from Austin Sterling, PAT failed
FC: Blake Welchert 3-yard run, PAT failed
Third Quarter
NC: Kalan Fritch 30-yard pass from Sterling, PAT failed
NC: Chris Blum 65-yard interception return, 2-point conversion failed
Fourth Quarter
FC: Welchert 33-yard run, Chase Bierman PAT
FC: Welchert 11-yard run, 2-point conversion failed
