Welcome to Southwest Football!
The Lincoln Southeast defense kept Lincoln Southwest in a constant state of agitation in the final quarter of Friday's game at Seacrest Field.
The front four of Jacob Ledgerwood, Jake Cotton, Jeff Sheets and David Sutton kept enough pressure on to limit the Silver Hawks when it mattered and help Class A No. 3 Southeast to a 17-12 victory against 10th-ranked Southwest before a crowd of 4,326.
"It helps when you have a good defensive front four," said Southeast coach John Larsen. "They were able to put pressure on and that allows us to drop kids into coverage so we weren't giving up too many open things.
"Doug (Miller, LSE defensive coordinator) did a good job mixing up the blitzes. We blitzed on that last play and we sacked (Rylan) Cotton. I think we kept them off-balance with our pressure."
Trailing 17-12, Southwest converted a fourth-and-15, then picked up another first down, driving to the Southeast 33-yard line. After two incompletions, Jeff Seybold was stopped for a 2-yard gain and Jake Cotton and Ledgerwood combined to bring Rylan Cotton down to secure the win.
"We said at halftime we thought we could pound them a little bit. We thought our size was going to wear them down and I think it did," Larsen said. "We were able to do some things in the ground game that weren't there in the first half."
The Knights counted on Zach Taylor to carry the load after missing the last three games with a back injury. Taylor ran for 167 yards on 32 carries.
"He had that many carries?" Larsen said, wincing when he heard the number. "After every series, we'd ask him how he was doing and ask if he could go some more. He always said yes. We had talked about limiting him to 20."
Southeast jumped on top when Derek Shouse made a circus catch of a 43-yard Derrius Vick pass. Shouse juggled the ball, which bounced over his head and then he pinned the ball against his helmet as he crossed the goal line.
"I caught it with my helmet and never brought it around," Shouse said. "I thought the defender was going to take it away."
Southwest cut the deficit to 7-6 on a 47-yard pass from Rylan Cotton to Dylan Payne, but Ledgerwood blocked the extra point to keep LSE on top.
Taylor, who rushed for 123 of his yards in the second half, scored on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter. The scoring drive was set up by an interception by Tyson Youngquist.
Southwest answered when Seybold broke around the left side and raced 73 yards for a score. But he was out of bounds when he caught the two-point conversion pass.
Levi Cockle kicked a 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 17-12 lead. After an interception by Michael Gude, Cockle tried a 30-yard field goal but was wide-right, setting up the final defensive stand.
Southwest falls on another late kick - Lincoln Journal Star Online | BY KEN HAMBLETON | Friday, September 25, 2009
KEARNEY - Long bus trips and kickers may haunt Lincoln Southwest's dreams for a while.
Kearney sophomore Spencer Lindsay kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bearcats a 20-17 victory against Class A No. 8 Lincoln Southwest before 2,000 fans Friday at Cope Stadium on the Nebraska-Kearney campus.
A week ago, Grand Island spilled Southwest by an extra point in double overtime in Grand Island.
"I thought we'd be in another 17-17 overtime game and have a chance for a different outcome this week," said Southwest coach Mark King, whose team fell to 3-2. "But we made some key mistakes on defense at the end and they hit the passes they needed."
Southwest struggled to move the ball until quarterback Rylan Cotton capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run to the corner of the end zone with 10:29 left in the game. The game was tied at 10.
Kearney then packaged a miraculous drive, scoring in four plays to go up 17-10 - with passes of 30 and 41 yards by quarterback Brandon Landanger. What made the drive unbelievable was that Landanger was knocked out of the game on the first play after the kickoff, and Southwest sacked backup quarterback Taylor Fish for a 9-yard loss to the Bearcat 29.
"I got my breath, shook my head and went back in and there were some guys open," said Landanger, who connected on 11 passes for 217 yards.
Southwest countered with a masterful 15-play, 82-yard drive that included fourth-and-long completions of 22 and 20 yards to set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Cotton that tied the game at 17 with 2:38 left.
"I thought we'd get the overtime again, but we fell a little short," King said.
Landanger hit Zach Albrecht on a 60-yard pass, and three plays later, Lindsay, who had missed two long field-goal attempts earlier in the game, connected.
"I was nervous, shaking, when we got that long pass because I thought they might come to me," Lindsay said. "I just went through my focus and training and made it. But I was nervous."
Kearney coach Brandon Cool, whose team is 3-2, said the victory was important.
"It was huge and we played some outstanding football against an outstanding team to win," he said. "We love the hitch routes and had an extended one that got us the score to go ahead and got another one to set up the winning field goal. And we had put our kicker in every kind of situation you could have."
Islanders edge No. 3 Silverhawks-LJS, Ryly Jane Hambleton, 9/18/9
GRAND ISLAND - Aaron Roberg said he and his Grand Island teammates weren't satisfied with their effort so far this season.
Roberg was a workhorse for the Islanders as they upended third-ranked Lincoln Southwest 31-30 in double overtime Friday before an estimated 2,500 fans.
"All week long, our motto was 'finish.' We hadn't done that so far and we needed to do it in everything - runs, blocks, drives," said the senior running back. "That's what we did tonight."
Roberg carried the ball 33 times for 173 yards and scored three touchdowns, two of them in overtime, to lift the Islanders.
As important as Grand Island's offense was, it was the defense came through in the clutch.
Southwest drove from its 8-yard line in the closing minutes of regulation before the Islander defense stiffened and stopped Rylan Cotton just short of a first down at the GI 41-yard line with 20 seconds left. Islander quarterback Adam Werner took a knee to send the game to overtime.
After Roberg's 1-yard dive gave Grand Island a 31-24 lead in the second overtime, Southwest turned to the pass again and Cotton found Vino Brown for a touchdown. But Cotton's pass on a rollout to the right fell incomplete to give the Islanders the win.
"I thought we had a play that was golden," said Southwest coach Mark King. "They're a good defense and you have to execute well.
"I thought our kids stayed patient and we got some things working in the fourth quarter. But they have good athletes on defense and blocks in space are important."
The Islanders' defense limited Southwest to 137 yards rushing and 285 total yards, nearly 100 yards below the Silver Hawks' average.
"We played our base defense. Our defensive ends, Andy Gdowski and Nate Westerby, did really well and we have a great interior six guys," said GI coach Jeff Tomlin. "Rylan threw the ball well early, so we tightened our coverage and got a big pick."
Drew Cimino intercepted a Cotton pass just three plays after Grand Island missed a scoring opportunity. The Islanders drove to the Southwest 2 before settling for an 18-yard field goal attempt by Logan Mendez. But the junior kicker never got a chance to kick when the ball sailed over the holder's head and Southwest took over at its own 31.
Grand Island scored first on Werner's 16-yard touchdown pass to Max Ayoub, which Tomlin said was a key.
"That was a breakthrough for our offense," he said. "Roberg is a warrior. He won't win a 100-meter dash, but he's a competitor."
Southwest answered with a 60-yard scoring drive, capped by a 6-yard pass from Cotton to Jordan Tyrance and then took a 10-7 lead on Tay Bender's 35-yard field goal.
Grand Island tied the game three seconds before halftime on a 30-yard field goal by Mendez.
Silver Hawks ranked #3 in recent poll in the Journal Star and World Herald.
Lincoln Journal Star Rankings 9/14/9 Class A Pvs. 1. Millard South (3-0) 1 2. Omaha Burke (3-0) 3 3. L. Southwest (3-0) 4 4. Papillion-LaVista (3-0) 5 5. Omaha North (2-1) 2 6. Millard North (2-1) 6 7. Creighton Prep (2-1) 7 8. Elkhorn (3-0) 8 9. L. Southeast (2-0) 9 10. Norfolk (2-1) - Contenders: Bellevue East, Grand Island, Kearney, Lincoln North Star, Millard West, Omaha Central, Papillion-La Vista South. Comments: Millard South added an emotional victory when the Patriots topped Millard West in a rematch of last year's state title game. Omaha North tumbles after an overtime loss to Norfolk, which replaces Millard West. Southeast holds its position although the Knights have to play contender Papillion-La Vista South tonight, then face Lincoln Northeast on Friday. Key games this week: Tonight-Lincoln Southeast at Papillion-La Vista South. Thursday-Omaha Burke at Millard West. Friday-Elkhorn at Millard South, Lincoln Southwest at Grand Island, Kearney at Lincoln North Star, Creighton Prep at Omaha Central, Omaha North at Papillion-La Vista. |
Omaha World Herald Rankings 9/14/9 TOP 10/CLASS A |
Silver Hawks rout Rockets - LJS-September 11th, 2009
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Mother Nature was the only force that could halt Lincoln Southwest's offense Friday night at Seacrest Field.
Lightning halted the fourth-ranked Silver Hawks' football game against Lincoln Northeast at halftime and delayed the start of the second half for more than an hour. The only lightning and thunder in the first half, however, came from Southwest's quick-strike attack that built a 29-0 margin. The Silver Hawks settled for a 35-0 victory. Big plays punctuated the first half as touchdowns accounted for 191 of Southwest's 322 total yards at intermission. Senior quarterback Rylan Cotton got it started with a 75-yard scoring run around right end on the first play of the game. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior had 111 yards on seven carries at intermission. The floodgates, however, didn't open fully until the second quarter as the Hawks scored on its final four possessions. After a 32-yard field goal by Austin Tompkins made it 9-0 with 10:10 left in the period, I-back Jeff Seybold scored three straight TDs. First, the 5-10, 195-pound senior broke a 53-yard run off right guard with 5:07 remaining in the half. Exactly three minutes later, Seybold snagged a slant pass from Cotton and outraced the Rockets defenders to the end zone for a 42-yard pass. Southwest drove 44 yards with just 43 seconds remaining to cap its first half explosion. Cotton and Vino Brown connected for 23 yards to start the march. Two plays later, Seybold made a leaping catch over the middle for a 21-yard TD pass with 14 seconds remaining. Seybold had 93 yards rushing on six attempts in the first half. |
Lincoln Southwest put its big-play offense on display Friday night LJS-09
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The Class A sixth-ranked Silver Hawks capitalized on a pair of turnovers and had scoring plays of 23, 75 and 82 yards in the first half en route to a 42-20 victory against No. 9 Lincoln North Star at Seacrest Field. The Silver Hawks scored their first four touchdowns on a total of seven plays. Southwest's first "drive" came just before halftime when Rylan Cotton directed an eight-play march that gave the Silver Hawks a 35-7 advantage. "I was a lot more pleased with our offense this week," Southwest coach Mark King said. The Silver Hawks scored 16 points in their season-opening win against Fremont. "We've got some real good skill-position kids who can take it 80 yards." North Star couldn't take advantage when the Gators recovered what looked like an onside kick to start the game. Jordan Tyrance stopped the Gators' drive when he intercepted a pass and returned it 59 yards to the 21-yard line. Three plays later, Tyrance caught a 23-yard scoring toss from Cotton. On the next Southwest possession, Cotton passed over the middle to Vino Brown, who caught the ball near the North Star 40 and raced into the end zone for a 75-yard score. North Star got right back in the game when Dillon Schrodt returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a TD. That's when Jeff Seybold stepped up. The senior finished with 151 yards on 11 carries and scored four touchdowns. Nakemm Evans recovered a North Star fumble on the 6 early in the second quarter to set up Seybold's first score. After a Gator punt, Seybold went around the right end and raced 82 yards, then added a 5-yard scoring run just before halftime. After Alex Romero broke a 70-yard run for a North Star touchdown, Seybold scored on a 10-yard run. "I couldn't do it without the line. Our offense was slow to start and then we started rolling," Seybold said. "The line was making holes and I just ran behind them. The passing game helped a lot. Rylan threw good balls to Vino and Jordan and that gave us holes." Cotton was 5-for-8 passing for 137 yards. Joe Hartley threw for 195 yards for the Gators and Romero finished with 122 yards rushing. |
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FREMONT - Lincoln Southwest got a dominant defensive performance and touchdown runs from Jeff Seybold and Austin Tompkins on Friday during a 16-8 victory against Fremont in the season opener for both teams. Seybold carried 18 times for 148 yards, and his 17-yard touchdown run with 3:55 left in the game put Southwest ahead 16-0. Tompkins scored the Silver Hawks' first TD on a 34-yard run with 3:57 left in the first half to make it 9-0. Southwest got on the board with its defense in the second quarter, tackling Fremont quarterbacl Trevor Strong in the end zone for a safety with 11:13 to play to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead. Fremont was limited to just 220 total yards and had just 37 yards and two first downs in the first half. |
Silver Hawks ranked #6 in Preseason Poll - Omaha World Herald, Wednesday, August 26 2009
Class A
1. Millard West
2. Creighton Prep
3. Millard South
4. Omaha North
5. Omaha Burke
6. Lincoln Southwest
7. Grand Island
8. Millard North
9. Papillion-La Vista
10. Kearney
Silver Hawks ranked #8 in Preseason Poll - Lincoln Journal Star, Monday, August 24 2009.
CLASS A
1. Millard South
2. Omaha North
3. Creighton Prep
4. Omaha Burke
5. Millard North
6. Grand Island
7. Millard West
8. Lincoln Southwest
9. Papillion-La Vista
10. Lincoln North Star
Contenders - Elkhorn, Kearney, Lincoln East, Omaha Central, Papillion-La Vista South
The body of work that Rylan Cotton can draw upon this fall goes beyond the two years he's been the starting quarterback for Lincoln Southwest.
Cotton played on the Silver Hawks' Class A state runner-up basketball team and also on Southwest's state tournament baseball team last year.
"There are not too many athletes with more experience than Rylan has," football coach Mark King said. "He's been through some great wins and through some tough losses."
The rigors of being a three-sport athlete make Cotton a battle-tested veteran ready to lead his team.
"I played in a lot of real competitive games and a lot of real close games in football, basketball and baseball," Cotton said. "It gives you an edge and makes you more confident."
Cotton was thrown into the fray early, starting at quarterback as a sophomore. That year, he ran for 547 yards and passed for 729. Last year, he rushed for 888 yards and threw for 1,459 yards.
"I enjoy that it's my team. When I was younger, I had some great players like Baker Steinkuhler and Austin Cassidy to look up to and watch them and learn from them," Cotton said. "Last year, because I had already started a year, I kind of felt it.
"I've always enjoyed the responsibility of being a quarterback. I tried to lead by example and let the older guys be the vocal leaders."
His skill set allows Southwest to have a diversified offense.
"His command of the offense is incredible. He knows what I'm going to say before I say it," King said. "He is really on the same page with me and that makes it a lot easier for both of us.
"He was very talented at a young age and got thrown into it. He got in some varsity games as a freshman."
That early experience didn't give Cotton an inflated view of himself, though, according to King.
"He never stopped trying to get better. He never fell into that 'cool duty' where he just rested on what he had," King said. "He has improved a lot in all areas. Athletically, he has improved because of the training he put in."
On the baseball diamond, he pitches and plays shortstop. On the football field, he has the proven ability to run and pass. So which does he consider himself first - a pitcher or a shortstop, a running or a passing quarterback?
"I'm probably a shortstop first, but next spring, I will have to pitch a lot more," Cotton said. "Pitching has more of my mentality of having control, like on the football field.
"I think my running game definitely was my strength at the beginning, but I have tried to work on my passing game. Changing offenses helped me pass more and better."
Cotton is joined by five other returning starters on offense and the Silver Hawks have four starters back on defense, which has Cotton excited about the team's prospects.
"I definitely think we can make some noise. We all have the same goal in mind, which is getting to the state championship," he said. "I think as the season goes along we'll get stronger.
"Last year down the stretch, we started hanging out together and watching movies. In basketball, we had team dinners that turned into just hanging out and playing video games at someone's house. If you feel comfortable with each other and care about the person next to you , you want to do everything to pick that person up and that helps the team."