QB Palm comes off bench, leads East rout

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BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

OMAHA — Seeing his first action as quarterback this season, Lincoln East senior Matt Palm rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another score as the Spartans blanked Omaha Benson 34-0 on Friday at Benson Stadium.

“We know Matt’s a good runner and thought he could bring something different to the table if we could get him in there in the right situation,” East coach John Gingery said. “It just makes a whole lot of difference if you can move the football on the ground.”

East (3-1) certainly did that, running 48 times for 357 yards in the Spartans’ first game this season that did not go right down to the wire.

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Palm and starter Scott Sunderman combined for 210 of those yards on 21 carries. Sunderman opened the scoring with a 32-yard run on the first play after Zachary Smith’s interception.

Palm took over in the second quarter, capping a four-play, 77-yard drive with a 35-yard scamper. The Spartans then capped their big first half with a 65-yard drive in the final minute. Palm hit Drew Sankey with an 18-yard scoring pass.

“To go up 21-0 at the half, that was a big play,” Gingery said. “The offense did a nice job to move down the field like that.”

Palm, who had 237 total yards, added a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter, and Michael Knott capped the scoring with a 1-yard run midway through the final period.

East, which had outscored its first three opponents this season a combined 37-30, got another strong effort out of its defense. The Bunnies (1-3) lost three turnovers and were shut out for the first time this season. Fifteen of their 29 rushes went for no gain or losses.

Quarterback Donte Perry threw 29 times for 174 yards. He connected seven times for 97 yards with senior Kyle Estwick.

The Bunnies’ best scoring threat ended with a botched fake field-goal attempt in the first half. Later, Pete Meginnis picked off a pass in East territory to preserve the shutout.

“You don’t get many of those,” Gingery said. “Benson is a very athletic team, so they’re a threat to score on any play.”

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.