• Photo Showcase: Thursday night football, Oct. 21

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WAHOO, Neb. — Two of the biggest plays in Wahoo’s district-championship victory Thursday night came from a sophomore who’s mostly been with the Warriors’ junior varsity this season.

Tyler Kavan set up Wahoo’s eventual winning touchdown with a 42-yard third-quarter punt return from midfield, then preserved the 17-14 victory over previously undefeated Ashland-Greenwood with a quarterback sack with 1:40 to play.

Wahoo coach Chad Fox said Kavan gets “short-changed” because he’s the backup to Wahoo’s leading rusher, Greg Milliken.

“But last week against (Wahoo) Neumann he had to step up on defense,’’ Fox said. “No doubt, his punt return was the play of the game.’’

After Kavan slipped at the Ashland 8, quarterback Sean Lindgren got his second 1-yard touchdown of the game, with 3:31 left in the third quarter, to give Wahoo the lead it had lost when Jake Nichelson went 80 yards on Ashland’s first snap of the second half. Place-kicker Ethan Harders made the extra-point try from 37 yards after a major penalty on Wahoo’s first attempt at the conversion.

The Class C-1 No. 3 Jays (7-1), who last had an undefeated regular season in 1937, started their final three drives at their 15-, 8- and 11-yard lines. On the last possession, which began with 7:03 left in the game, the Jays picked up three first downs and reached the Wahoo 44 with 3:33 left.

Nichelson picked up 3 yards on two carries, then Lucas McAtee dropped him for a 3-yard loss. Nichelson led all rushers with 136 yards on 16 carries.

On fourth-and-10, Kavan sacked Jays quarterback Conor Sapp for an 8-yard loss. Lindgren ran for two first downs to run out the clock.

No. 9 Wahoo (7-1), which has its most wins since going 8-1 in 1996, got 90 yards from Milliken, 81 from Lindgren and 62 from McAtee. After 18 carries in the first half, Milliken got the ball just five times in the second half.

Ashland ran 40 plays to 77 for the Warriors.

“Their line played better for the first quarter-and-a-half, maybe the first two quarters,’’ Jays coach Ryan Thompson said. “The fourth quarter I sensed we were getting stronger. Nichelson gets stronger as the game goes on.

“Sapp missed a couple wide-open guys. That’s not like him.”

Ashland-Greenwood (7-1)...................0 7 7 0—14

At Wahoo (7-1)..............................3 7 7 0—17

W: Ethan Harders 26 field goal

AG: Shane Meyers 7 run (Dennis Stille kick)

W: Sean Lindgren 1 run (Harders kick)

AG: Jake Nichelson 80 run (Stille kick)

W: Lindgren 1 run (Harders kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: A, Nichelson 16-136, Conor Sapp 7-14, Meyers 2-9. W, Greg Milliken 23-90, Lindgren 20-81, Seth Stewart 8-26, Lucas McAtee 13-62, Tyler Kavan 1-5, team 1-minus 1.

PASSING: A, Sapp 8-15-2 32. W, Lindgren 2-11-2 22.

RECEIVING: A, Eric Richards 4-4, Meyers 1-8, Stille 2-19, Ruge 1-9. W, Christian Hohl 1-17, Stewart 1-5.

Contact the writer:

444-1041, stu.pospisil@owh.com

twitter.com/stuOWH

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