LINCOLN — On the first play of the fourth quarter, Exeter-Milligan/Friend's Breckan Schluter rumbled 26 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that put the Bobcats up 28-18 and squarely in position to take home the Class D1 state football championship trophy.
However, things unraveled during a disastrous span of about five minutes as top-seeded Stanton turned a 10-point hole into a 42-28 lead thanks to EMF turnovers on three-consecutive possessions.
The Bobcats answered back with a late touchdown to get to within six points, but a fourth-down conversion in the final minute salted away the title for the Mustangs by a 42-36 margin over Class D1’s No. 7 seed in a rainy affair at Memorial Stadium.
“We just couldn’t limit their big plays — and they’re a good team, so they’re going to have those — and the three turnovers in the fourth quarter was tough,” EMF co-head coach Kory Kahlandt said. “Credit to them for getting them; we didn’t just give them the ball, they did some good things. They’re a well-coached team. I’m disappointed but still happy for the season these guys had. They deserve to be celebrated and the score’s not indicative of their whole season. They played a tough game.”
EMF senior Breckan Schluter (8) throws down a stiff arm on Stanton’s Barrett Wilke during a fourth-quarter run at Memorial Stadium. Schluter finished with 266 yards and five touchdowns, but the Mustangs took home the state title with a 42-36 win.
Monday’s affair more closely resembled a track meet than a football game in the early going, as Stanton marched down the field on the first drive of the ballgame, with quarterback Barrett Wilke rumbling 45 yards to pay dirt one play after a fourth-down conversion.
Not to be outdone, EMF answered back as Schluter bounced a run to the outside for a 23-yard house call and an early 8-6 lead. The Mustangs immediately responded with their aerial assault as Wilke found Mitchell Hupp for 18 yards and the third touchdown in three possessions.
After the early fireworks, things began to slow down as both defenses settled in. Early in the second quarter, Schluter bowled through the line of scrimmage and was untouched from there as the senior turned on the jets for a 58-yard touchdown and a 14-12 lead.
The scoreboard remained the same late into the first half, when Stanton turned away the EMF attack on fourth and four from the Mustangs’ 11-yard line. A couple plays later, Wilke delivered a 56-yard dot to Jordan Claussen for a touchdown and an 18-14 lead at the intermission.
Bobcats senior Draven Payne (5) sheds off contact during an interception return in the third quarter of Monday's D1 final at Memorial Stadium. EMF stood toe-to-toe with top seed Stanton until the end but came up just shy in a 42-36 loss.
EMF marched down the field on the first drive of the third quarter but ultimately came away empty on fourth down, though the defense answered back as the Bobcats snuffed out a fake punt on the next possession to get the ball back.
Schluter cashed in with a 3-yard touchdown plunge to put the visitors back on top 22-18, and the EMF defense came up big once again on the next drive as Draven Payne stepped in front of Wilke’s pass for an interception.
“I think we just sent some slants, some blitzes and kind of played on our toes a little bit more,” Kahlandt said of the defensive adjustments in the third quarter. “We just played physical with them and got off blocks. At times when they were able to down block us you could see those long runs.”
The turnover set up Schluter’s lengthy touchdown run on the opening play of the final stanza for a two-possession advantage, but the cushion would not last. Stanton answered back with a 7-yard touchdown rush from Wilke to get it back to a one-score game, then intercepted the Bobcats on the first snap of the next series.
Exeter-Milligan/Friend Bobcats Hunter Svehla (21), Mark Milton (11) and Truman Milton (12) take the field prior to the start of Monday's D1 state championship game against Stanton at Memorial Stadium.
One play later, Wilke broke one for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Mustangs back in front with 8:39 left in the ballgame. EMF got across midfield on the next possession but coughed up the ball on a fumble Stanton pounced on.
The Bobcats’ defense stood strong as Payne broke up a pass on fourth-and-long for a turnover on downs, but EMF again put the ball on the turf on the very next snap for their third giveaway in as many drives.
Stanton took over and eventually faced a fourth-and-six, but Wilke hit Hupp for a 26-yard touchdown to make it 42-28 with 3:26 remaining in the ballgame.
EMF managed to pick itself up off the mat with a quick drive, capped by Schluter’s 3-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion to make it a six-point game with 1:53 left on the clock.
However, Stanton recovered the EMF onside kick, then picked up three yards on a fourth and two to salt away the state title.
Though the result wasn’t what the Bobcats wanted, Kahlandt said after the game the outcome should not diminish what was still the most productive season since Exeter-Milligan and Friend began co-opping in football in 2018.
“They worked real hard this year, went on the road and beat some good teams in the playoffs and I’m proud of them, proud they got to experience this. Of course I wish it would have turned out different, but the way they fought all year and did everything we asked, I’m real proud of this team,” he said. “We just believed. After we had that triple-overtime loss, the next week in practice we told them they were capable of getting here as long as we got better every game, and I’m glad it worked out for them.
"They believed it, some of those wins started snowballing and building confidence, and our guys played tough football, physical football all throughout the year. We’re not the flashiest team with a lot of downhill running, but I’m proud of the guys. It was a very good team effort this year.”
Though EMF held a slight 352-321 edge in rushing yards, Stanton outgained the Bobcats 456-380 overall thanks to a productive day for the Mustangs’ passing attack.
Wilke completed 6 of 10 passes for 135 yards with three touchdowns against an interception in the win while also rushing 38 times for 250 yards and another three scores on the ground.
The performance from their quarterback, combined with a 3-1 advantage in the turnover department, was enough for Stanton to pull out the victory. Hupp led the Stanton receiving corps with four catches for 79 yards and a pair of scores.
“They’re a good team, they’ve got a lot of weapons. Credit to their offensive line too, because averaging 10 yards a carry for the whole year is crazy,” Kahlandt said. “Our defense did come up big with some stops — it was a big challenge for them — but we couldn’t capitalize on some of those stops.”
Mikey Bartu (28) stops Stanton quarterback Barrett Wilke (4) for a loss of four yards during the first quarter of EMF's 42-36 loss in the D1 finals at Memorial Stadium.
Offensively, Schluter once again led the Bobcats with 266 yards and five touchdowns on 39 rushes. The performance put Schluter — the fifth Nebraskan ever to hit 7,000 career rushing yards — over 3,000 yards on the ground for his senior season.
Defensively, Jacob Weber paced EMF with 14 tackles and Mikey Bartu added 11, while Payne and Schluter recorded 10 tackles apiece. Payne also had the Bobcats’ only takeaway with his third-quarter interception and added a fourth-down pass breakup in the fourth quarter.
Schluter, Weber and Payne were among the eight-man senior class who suited up for the final time at EMF on Monday, joining Tyler Due, Mason Semler, Preston Knollenberg, Spencer Eberspacher and Andrew Vavra.
Despite the loss, Monday nonetheless marked the conclusion of a very successful season for the Bobcats. EMF earned the No. 7 seed in the re-seeded bracket but punched above their weight throughout the postseason as they went on the road and upset 2-seed North Platte St. Patrick’s and 3-seed Crofton in consecutive weeks to reach the finals, then took No. 1 seed Stanton down to the wire in Lincoln to finish as the D1 runner-ups.
“It just goes to show the hard work and effort they put in, winning games that we probably weren’t supposed to win on paper, but they prepared the right way week-to-week and built on it,” Kahlandt said. “There was really good focus at practice, and really they just believed and fought hard. They just have a lot of heart, and we can talk about the Xs and Os, but you’ve got to have heart to make the run they did.”
