Kearney rallied to overcome a two-touchdown deficit and defeat Gretna in this NSAA Championship second-round Class A matchup.
It was a back-and-forth contest where the momentum shifted unpredictably.
Gretna scored first, and it seemed like everything was coming up Dragons for a while courtesy of Zane Flores.
Zane Flores calls his own number from 2 yds out and puts up Gretna up 14-0 with 9:16 remaining in the 1st half #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/jZTgWEsbLg
— YurView Omaha (@YurViewOM) October 31, 2020
Kearney’s Kaden Miller caught the first touchdown pass from Preston Pearson to get the Bearcats on the board.
Preston Pearson connects with Kaden Miller for the 17 yd TD. Kearney gets on the board, but trails Gretna 14-6 with 4:01 left in the 1st half #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/EvMOz2nB7I
— YurView Omaha (@YurViewOM) October 31, 2020
Miller got into the end zone again with a second-quarter pick six to tie the game for the Bearcats. After a James Dakan field goal put Kearney up by three, it seemed that the Bearcats had found their stride. They were soon up 24-14 and cruising into the third quarter.
Not so fast. Mark Staley grabbed a pick six of his own for Gretna, and the score was suddenly within three points again.
Gretna stops the bleeding with a pick six of their own! Mark Staley takes the tipped pass to the house with a 17 yd TD! Kearney still leads 24-21 with 3:32 remaining in Q3 #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/MXVh1VwyV3
— YurView Omaha (@YurViewOM) October 31, 2020
Both Kearney and Gretna would score again in this contest; The Bearcats with a 5-yard run by Parker Wise and the Dragons with a Jackson Alexander 10-yarder. But the Bearcats came out on top, slaying the Dragons 30-28.
Kaden Miller was the player of the game for the Bearcats, making contributions on offense, defense and special teams.
Kaden single handedly shifted the momentum of this game (although he probably would say it’s his teammates) with the 10 yard TD catch and 43 yard pick six return TD in the final 6 minutes of the first half. #kmasports pic.twitter.com/a79gWvPdTr
— Grant Hansen (@hansen15_hansen) October 31, 2020
The Bearcats will move on to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017.
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