Terry Douglass
KEARNEY – Stunned silence fell over Foster Field Friday night, as the #13 Grand Island Islanders stormed the field, taking down their longtime rival – the #4 Kearney Bearcats – in the first round playoff upset 29-19. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney (8-2, 3-1) ends their season with another first round postseason loss, their third straight since going to the 2020 semifinals. Grand Island (6-4, 2-2) heads to the Class A Quarterfinals for a matchup against #5 Millard West after the Wildcats took down #12 Millard North.
The Bearcats had taken the first win of the Central Nebraska rivalry back on Sept. 29 in the 10-7 victory at Grand Island’s Memorial Field. The Islanders took the loss to heart, having never forgotten the moment of Kearney fans storming the field and hoped to do the same to their opponent Friday night at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium.
Through all the tradition of the Kearney/Grand Island rivalry, the two teams had only met four times in the postseason leading into Friday’s contest. The Islanders had only one playoff win over Kearney coming back in 1990; the two teams had most recently matchup in 2016, with the Bearcats taking a 17-0 win.
The contest ended up another back-and-forth affair, as Kearney would win the opening coin toss but deferred to the second half. The Islanders had an early jolt to their offense by the return of leading rusher Caleb Richardson. However, an early first down run by Justyce Hostetler could not produce further results on the opening possession giving away an Islander punt.
Kearney’s first drive began methodically with short runs set up by Eli Randolph and quarterback Griffin Novacek – who had announced his commitment to UCF Baseball earlier in the week. After Novacek’s first down, the Bearcats would throw an incompletion, a no gain run, and give up a sack to give their first punt.
Grand Island’s favorable field position – set up at their own 45 – gave quarterback Bode Albers all the room needed to take the first lead of the contest. Richardson would rumble for chunks of yards early, while luck rolled a fumble back into Grand Island’s possession. Hostetler converted two first downs from receptions, setting up Albers on a quarterback sneak for a score to break the scoreless tie. Grand Island owned the early lead after the eleven play, 55 yard drive as the Islanders were up 7-0 with 3:22 remaining in the opening period.
Kearney’s offense aimed to match their rival, marching nine plays after a quality return by Karter Lee set up the Bearcats at their own 47. Novacek’s legs were crucial on the drive, creating a second and short then converting two different first downs on the third and fifth play of the possession. As the first quarter would end, Grand Island held their lead up 7-0.
The Bearcats could not keep their drive going, as a 35 yard field goal attempt by Jake Kracl was blocked by the Islanders’ Reid Kelly keeping the visitors ahead at the start of the second quarter.
Grand Island extended their lead to two possessions as several Kearney penalties assisted the Islanders on a eleven play march. Following an Albers first down run, Kearney’s defense held on a long third and ten giving Thatcher Panowicz the chance to knock down a 43 yard field goal try. Grand Island held their lead, up 10-0 with 6:49 left in the second.
Two snaps later, Kearney woke up.
The Bearcats struck gold on a play-action shot downfield, as Novacek found a streaking Lee for a 72 yard touchdown. Kearney was right back in the game, trailing 10-7.
Following an Islander three-and-out, the Bearcats looked to keep their momentum rolling. Starting on their own 22 – before backing up to the seventeen due to a penalty – the Bearcats responded to multiple adversities on their nine play scoring drive. Randolph rushed for fourteen yards on first and fifteen, Zaire LaGrone-Miller hauled in a first down catch, a defensive pass interference on Grand Island flipped a Kearney interception into a first down, and the Bearcats ended the drive with an emphatic 22 yard touchdown rumble by senior back Able Molina. The extra point would be blocked, however, giving Kearney a 13-10 lead with 1:47 remaining before halftime.
Grand Island looked like the visitors could steal a halftime lead as Jacob Albers had a 35 yard catch and run into Kearney territory. Instead, the Bearcats’ Reese Bertrand intercepted a pass intended inside. Kearney’s offense would go three-and-out but would be bailed out by a fumbled punt return by the Islanders inside their own thirty yard line.
Nearing the end of the half, Kearney lifted a 32 yard field goal by Jake Kracl, giving Kearney the 16-10 lead into the break.
Kearney’s luck continued to bounce their way as an eight play drive would end in a sack by the Bearcat offense, but a muffed punt by Grand Island gave Novacek and the Bearcats new life inside the Islander 12. However, Kearney would go backwards on two of their next three plays – including the third sack on Novacek at that point – as Kracl would hit his third field goal of the night pushing the lead 19-10 with 6:16 left in the third.
Terry Douglass
The Bearcats would not score again in their home postseason appearance.
The swing would begin as Grand Island followed a steady return by Nelsyn Wheeler inside the Kearney 24, going five plays for a four yard touchdown run by Albers aided on a third and goal defensive holding penalty. Kearney still held their lead, up 19-16 after a missed point after try with 4:35 in the third period.
Kearney’s offense went for another three-and-out as Novacek’s run-heavy day weighed on him, cramping and going out on a critical third and three. After both teams traded punts, Grand Island’s offense began the final march to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Richardson would begin at his own eighteen, pounding ahead for thirteen yards while Albers used a excellent play design to open up Riley Holling for a fifty yard completion to the Kearney twenty. Three plays later, Grand Island had the lead on a 17 yard touchdown toss from Albers to Richardson. The visitors had taken the lead back, up 23-19 with 8:38 left in the game.
The kick return by Kearney would be fumbled, as Grand Island sealed the Bearcats fate in the next twenty plays.
Starting on offense inside the Bearcat 25, Richardson would convert a first down that later set up another field goal from 28 yards out. 26-19 Islanders with six minutes remaining.
Kearney’s offense trailed by seven but could not cross mid-field, as the biggest play of the night – a 70 yard touchdown catch and run from Novacek to Lee – would be called off the field due to a holding penalty on the Bearcats. Kearney still converted a critical fourth down with the aid of a Zander Reuling 17 yard reception followed by a late dump to Molina for the first down. Four plays later, Kearney’s second fourth down conversion attempt would end in a sack giving Grand Island the ball back up one score.
The game was put on ice as the Islanders nailed a 38 yard field goal with 49 seconds remaining. On the drive, Richardson converted an early first down that forced Kearney to burn their two remaining timeouts.
The silence from the west side of Foster Field would be overtaken by elated Islander fans, storming the field as they saw their nemesis do just four weeks prior with the #13 Islanders moving on in the Class A playoffs with a 29-19 win.
Kearney ends their year 8-2 overall, earning the A-3 District Runner-up behind Omaha Westside. The Bearcats were also HAC Champions, going undefeated against conference foes in the regular season.
Grand Island improved to 6-4 and hosts Millard West after the Wildcats won 49-14 over Millard North.
UNOFFICIAL KGFW OFFENSIVE STATS:
KEARNEY:
Passing: Griffin Novacek, 10/19, 150 yards, 1 TD
Rushing: TEAM = 40 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD
Eli Randolph: 10 carries, 54 yards
Able Molina: 8 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD
Griffin Novacek: 22 carries, 37 yards
Receiving:
Karter Lee: 5 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD
Zaire LaGrone-Miller: 2 receptions, 18 yards
Zander Reuling: 1 reception, 17 yards
Kaleb Larson: 2 receptions, 11 yards
Able Molina: 1 reception, 9 yards
GRAND ISLAND:
Passing: Bode Albers: 10/18, 145 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: TEAM = 41 carries, 193 yards, 2 TD
Caleb Richardson: 18 carries, 91 yards
Nelsyn Wheeler: 13 carries, 37 yards
Justyce Hostetler: 3 carries, 38 yards
Bode Albers: 7 carries, 27 yards, 2 TD
Receiving:
Riley Holling: 4 receptions, 75 yards
Justyce Hostetler: 5 receptions, 52 yards
Caleb Richardson: 1 reception, 17 yards, 1 TD
