Serving the Loup Valley for 137 Years
State Champions!
The 11-0 Ord Chanticleer football team went on the road to Fremont to play the 2020 Class C2 State Championship and take on the Archbishop Bergan Knights.
On a beautiful day in November, the Chanticleers lost the coin toss and were forced to take the ball as Bergan deferred until the second half. The first quarter of the game did not yield any points. It was a defensive battle as both teams were trying to feel each other out.
The Chanticleers were poised and ready to explode and they did – scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter. The first was a nine-yard pass to Quinton Ries from Zach Smith. The second was a 22-yard interception return for a touchdown by Quinton Ries. Next, Treyton Cassell tipped a pass that was intercepted by Garret Kluthe and it resulted in a 19-yard touchdown run by Zach Smith. The tempo and size of the Chanticleers in the second quarter allowed the Chants to take control of the game. The defense did a tremendous job not letting the Knights score on big plays. That was something they had done all year.
Going into halftime with a 21-0 lead, all the Chants needed to do was finish the game and continue to play the way they were.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Bergan was able to drive the length of the field and score to make the game 21-7. But just like the Chants have done all year, they responded with an 11-yard touchdown run by Tommy Stevens to make it 28-7.
The Chant defense would close the game out with big stops the rest of the way and with two minutes left to go, Kelen Meyer got his eighth interception of the year to seal the win. The Chants were able to line up in the greatest formation in football – the victory formation.
Coach Wells added, “What a special group of players and coaches. This team answered the bell every time and worked very hard to earn the State Championship. They are such great kids in all areas of their life and I am so proud of them. This is a special community and it takes a village to win the State Championship. I want everyone to be proud of what they accomplished. State Championships are hard to come by. The welcome home by our community was awesome!”
Team Statistics
Ord - Rushing - 246, Passing- 53, Total - 299
Bergan - Rushing - 70, Passing - 228, Total - 298
Ord Individual Statistics
Rushing - T. Stevens 24-105, Z. Smith 22-115, Q. Ries 1-1, J. DeRiso 2-24, G. Kluthe 1-8
Passing - Z. Smith 7-12-52
Receiving - J. DeRiso 1-3, G. Kluthe 1-3, T. Stevens 4-37, Q. Ries 1-9,
Kicking - Meyer (FG 0-2) (PAT 4-4)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Ord 0 21 7 0 28
Bergan 0 7 0 0 7
