By CHRIS BASNETT Lincoln Journal Star
KEARNEY – Ryan Gottula had the perfect man behind center to call the winning play in the Shrine Bowl.
The Lincoln Southeast coach called the reverse flick that Lincoln Southeast quarterback Owen Baxter and his teammates executed to perfection on the first play of the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference in the South’s 17-10 victory over the North at Foster Field in Kearney.
Baxter threw a perfect deep pass to Gretna running back Isaiah Weber down the sideline, and the former Dragon did the rest, sliding a tackle and tiptoeing into the end zone for the final score of the game.
“My first thought was, ‘don’t lose it in the sun,'” Weber said of dragging his stride on a sunny afternoon in Kearney. “But then just catch it, get everything you can. I wasn’t thinking about scoring. Luckily I stayed awake and got to the end zone.”
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Weber was named the game’s most valuable offensive player after rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown and grabbing the 60-yard line for a score.
Weber opened the scoring with 22 seconds left in the second quarter, scoring a two-yard score to cap a 10-play, 87-yard drive. Ashland-Greenwood’s Drake Zimmerman did much of the work to put the South in scoring position, finishing the game with a game-high 10 carries for 57 yards.
“Really what I’m saying is that if you bring a lot of people together with the same goal, you’ll build something really special,” Weber said. “We are all competitive athletes and you would think that would cause some confusion, but not at all. We bonded immediately, became a great team and it was like we were focused on one goal.”
In the competitive matchup, the teams traded scores until Baxter’s bomb to Weber.
North Norfolk’s Samuel Zazueta kicked a 44-yard field goal to end the first half before McCook’s Patrick Gross kicked a 20-yard field goal to put South up 10-3.
Papillion-LaVista’s Payton Prestito capped the North’s best drive of the day, capping an 82-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 10 with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
That set the stage for Baxter and Weber to connect.
“He certainly knew how to handle whatever I was going to call,” Gottula said. “Owen is someone who knows what you’re thinking and what you want done offensively. It’s good to have that.”
Baxter finished 7 of 10 passing for 133 yards and a score as the South outyarded the North 339-204.
North Bennington’s Quinton Archer led the North with 52 rushing yards, while Prestito finished with 29. Sidney quarterback Isak Doty threw for 58 yards, including a 52-yarder to Grand Island Northwest’s Chase Wiegert.
North’s Drew Moser, a former Waverly standout, was named Defensive MVP after an eight-tackle night that included seven solo stops.
“Normally I’m struggling now,” Moser said of his participation on the grid in June. “I love football, just the bonds you form. It’s super fun.”
Saturday marked the end of Moser’s competitive high school career, one that included standout seasons in football and state championships in wrestling and track.
“We formed a really good bond. With my team, but also with the (Shrine Hospital) patients. It’s been super fun. And it’s made me feel very grateful for what I have,” Moser said. “Each and every one of us would always get together and talk about how lucky we are. It’s a great group of people around; the Shriners, everyone.
“It’s just a cool experience.”
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