The high school football season began Friday night with both the Blair Bears and Fort Calhoun Pioneers picking up victories.
BHS dominated Lincoln Standing Bear at home, 56-12, while FCHS traveled to Arlington and topped the Eagles, 13-0. The Bears play at Lincoln Pius X next Friday, while the Pioneers host Omaha Roncalli and AHS competes at Conestoga.
Calhoun claims road win
FCHS won a defensive battle Friday in Arlington, tallying two touchdowns to the Eagles’ none.
Kaiden Rodriguez scored the first, running into the east end zone from 14 yards out during the second quarter. He also made the extra point kick, booting the ball off of the players on the line of scrimmage and up through the uprights in an improbable attempt.
The Pioneers’ lead held through halftime and until they scored again with 4:37 left during the third quarter. Blake Welchert ran into the end zone that time, producing the 13-0 lead that would stick until the end.
Eli Tinkham iced the game for Fort Calhoun coach Zach Byrd during the fourth quarter, intercepting an Arlington pass with just a few minutes remaining. The Pioneers ran out the clock fromthere.
The Eagles’ Dallin Franzluebbers intercepted a pair of FCHS passes, too, leading coach Troy Schlueter’s squad in the coach’s debut game.
BHS routs Standing Bear
Coach Bryan Soukup’s Blair football team scored early and often during Friday’s season opener at Krantz Field.
The Bears led Standing Bear 56-0 at halftime and, ultimately, won by 44 points.
Brock Templar scored BHS’ first two touchdowns of the new campaign. He scored first on a short run up the middle before adding a 49-yard jaunt into the end zone at 14-0.
Quarterback Cooper Sorensen added to the Blair advantage with a 62-yard touchdown competition to Andrew Smutny before another scoring pass to Bo Meier during the second quarter.
Blair scored 28 more second quarter points from there, producing a dominant victory against a second-year school fielding its first varsity team.
For the full story on these games and additional photos, check out next Friday’s Arlington Citizen and Washington County Enterprise editions. Enterprise Media Group's Aaron Hickman contributed to this report.
