Elkhorn is crowned District champs after a last second victory over Skutt.
October 28, 2020
The 6-2 Elkhorn Antlers matched up against the 6-2 Skutt Catholic SkyHawks in a battle for the B-2 District championship. With a win, either team would have secured a home game for the first week of the playoffs.
Skutt began the game with the ball, and they took up half the quarter on this drive, ending it with a touchdown. The Antlers responded with a 69 yard drive in just 7 plays. A 50 yard catch by Senior Drew Christo was the highlight of this drive, with Senior Aiden Young finishing the drive by running it in from just one yard out. Skutt took a 14-7 lead to end after a short, 4 play, 70 yard drive. The SkyHawks finished the quarter with a 21-7 lead thanks to a fumble recovery just two plays after the kickoff. Skutt Quarterback Caden Becker scored on a 55 yard touchdown run right before the end of the quarter.
The Antlers didn’t go down easily though, as they started the second quarter with a seven play 53 yard drive that was topped off by a four yard touchdown run from Hayden Stec. Skutt seemed like they would respond with another touchdown, but a fumble by Caden Becker gave the Antlers the ball back on their own 20. 12 plays later, Isaac Robinson ran the ball in from six yards out with only 15 seconds left to tie the game up at 21-21 going into halftime.
The second half ended up being quite the opposite compared to the high scoring first half. Neither team was able to put any points on the board during the entire duration of the third quarter. Each team had two possessions. Skutt had only 16 yards while Elkhorn had 111, but in the end, that had no effect on the score. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Elkhorn gained some momentum and made it all the way to the Skutt 10 yard line, but was forced to kick a field goal. Sophomore Cole Houck’s 27 yard attempt was good, and the Antlers took a 24-21 lead with about 7 minutes left.
Skutt started their drive from their own 24 yard line, and they drained the clock with 16 running plays on the drive. With 20 seconds left, Skutt scored from three yards out, but a holding penalty put the ball back at the 12 yard line. Senior Crew Bischof sacked Becker on the next play, leaving Skutt 21 yards out. An 18 yard pass was completed on the next play, leaving one second on the clock with Skutt two yards out. The quarterback sneak from Becker came up just short, with seniors Isaac Robinson, Drew Christo, and Gannon Gragert meeting him at the line and holding him back.
The Antlers were led offensively by Aiden Young, Drew Christo, Grant Gutschow, Hayden Stec, Isaac Robinson, and Gannon Gragert. Gutschow had 221 total yards, Young had 79 total yards and a touchdown, Stec had 40 total yards and a touchdown, Robinson had 43 rushing yards and a touchdown, Christo had 76 total yards, and Gragert had 41 receiving yards. The win over Skutt makes the Antlers district champs and gives them a top four seed in the playoff bracket. The Antlers first playoff game will be Friday, October 30th, against the 3-5 Gross Catholic Cougars.
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Patton is our Editor-in-Chief. He is a senior and a third-year reporter at the Antler Express.