Win sets up Millard West in title game with rival
OMAHA — Nate Hauptman hit some clutch passes in the fourth quarter Saturday, but the Millard West quarterback passed out plenty of kudos to his defense.
Hauptman found Tyler Niederklein for a pair of third-down conversions, then finished off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to help the Wildcats rally for a 29-19 playoff semifinal victory against Omaha North at Buell Stadium.
The second-ranked Wildcats will face crosstown rival Millard South, which knocked off top-ranked Creighton Prep 24-0, in Friday’s Class A state championship game at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
“We knew we had to come back and fight. That’s what our team is all about,” Hauptman said. “We had some big drives on offense and some even bigger stops on defense.”
The comeback was necessary after Omaha North established its running game in the third quarter.
Bryant Giles pounded the middle for 23 yards to set up a 24-yard run by Ron Coleman as North cut Millard West’s lead to 14-13 with 3:18 left in the third quarter. But a bad snap allowed Jordan Boston to break through and block the extra-point kick.
It looked as if it might not matter when Demont Simpson recovered a Millard West fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Seven plays later, Giles scored on a 5-yard run for a 19-14 lead. The Vikings’ two-point conversion was negated by a holding penalty and the pass on the second try was incomplete.
That’s when Hauptman took over. He hit Niederklein with a 30-yard pass, then found him for a 15-yard gain to set up the keeper to regain the lead.
Omaha North pounded away again, driving to the Millard West 18-yard line before Millard West’s Shane O’Connell pounced on a fumble.
Hauptman hit Niederklein again for 26 yards and found Aaron Plugge for a 10-yard gain before Kohlman Adema-Schulte, the Class A 100- and 200-meter sprint champion last spring, broke loose for a 40-yard gain. Adema-Schulte scored on the next play.
“We came out emotionally charged up and bang, bang, it was 14-0 and we kind of let down,” Millard West coach Kirk Peterson said. “We knew Omaha North was not going to quit. I threw every defense at them that I could before we finally settled on our base defense.”
Hauptman finished 11-for-16 for 175 yards and added 75 yards on 10 carries. Giles led all rushers with 122 yards and Coleman added 98.
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
Hauptman found Tyler Niederklein for a pair of third-down conversions, then finished off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to help the Wildcats rally for a 29-19 playoff semifinal victory against Omaha North at Buell Stadium.
The second-ranked Wildcats will face crosstown rival Millard South, which knocked off top-ranked Creighton Prep 24-0, in Friday’s Class A state championship game at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
“We knew we had to come back and fight. That’s what our team is all about,” Hauptman said. “We had some big drives on offense and some even bigger stops on defense.”
The comeback was necessary after Omaha North established its running game in the third quarter.
Bryant Giles pounded the middle for 23 yards to set up a 24-yard run by Ron Coleman as North cut Millard West’s lead to 14-13 with 3:18 left in the third quarter. But a bad snap allowed Jordan Boston to break through and block the extra-point kick.
It looked as if it might not matter when Demont Simpson recovered a Millard West fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Seven plays later, Giles scored on a 5-yard run for a 19-14 lead. The Vikings’ two-point conversion was negated by a holding penalty and the pass on the second try was incomplete.
That’s when Hauptman took over. He hit Niederklein with a 30-yard pass, then found him for a 15-yard gain to set up the keeper to regain the lead.
Omaha North pounded away again, driving to the Millard West 18-yard line before Millard West’s Shane O’Connell pounced on a fumble.
Hauptman hit Niederklein again for 26 yards and found Aaron Plugge for a 10-yard gain before Kohlman Adema-Schulte, the Class A 100- and 200-meter sprint champion last spring, broke loose for a 40-yard gain. Adema-Schulte scored on the next play.
“We came out emotionally charged up and bang, bang, it was 14-0 and we kind of let down,” Millard West coach Kirk Peterson said. “We knew Omaha North was not going to quit. I threw every defense at them that I could before we finally settled on our base defense.”
Hauptman finished 11-for-16 for 175 yards and added 75 yards on 10 carries. Giles led all rushers with 122 yards and Coleman added 98.
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
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