There will be plenty of familiarity between both the student-athletes and the communities when St. Mary’s and Wynot square off in the Class D-2 state championship game.
The two schools have crossed paths several times recently in state competition in boys and girls basketball, volleyball and now football.
“For not being on each other’s regular-season schedule, our schools have seen quite a lot of each other,” St. Mary’s coach Tony Allen said. “It’s pretty exciting with all the history between the two schools in the last eight to 10 years.”
Last March, St. Mary’s defeated Wynot 63-51 for the Class D-2 boys state basketball title.
“There’s quite a bit of familiarity between the kids,” Wynot coach Steve Heimes said. “There are some great athletes and great competitors on both sides, that’s for sure.”
Football-wise, containing the high-octane St. Mary’s offense has proven to be a tall order for opponents this season as the Cardinals (12-0) are averaging 58.8 points per game. After being limited to 18 points in a season-opening win against Twin Loup, St. Mary’s has scored 46 or more in every outing, including an 80-12 victory over Neligh-Oakdale.
“St. Mary’s is an excellent team and their offense is very, very good — there’s a reason they put up the points like they do,” Heimes said. “Not many people have stopped them or even slowed them down. The St. Mary’s offensive line has really improved this year, which is a big part of their success.”
Despite battling a knee injury, quarterback Gage Hedstrom had a hand in seven touchdowns to set the career mark for total TDs in the eight-man ranks as the Cardinals knocked off top-seeded Howells-Dodge 52-28 in the semifinals. This season, Hedstrom has completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,964 yards and 40 TDs to go with 1,796 yards and 35 more scores on the ground.
“A lot of our success is due to the fact that 90% of the time, the ball is in Gage Hestrom’s hands and when that’s the case, something good is going to happen, whether it’s with his legs or with his arm,” Allen said. “Our line has been playing very well and Gage has a lot of weapons around him, too.”
Ben Barlow is the top receiving target for St. Mary’s, hauling in 61 passes for 989 yards and 20 TDs. Lane Bybee adds 28 receptions for 463 yards and seven TDs and James Eby has 18 catches for 265 yards and seven scores.
Hedstrom is also a leader on defense, recording a team-high 114 total tackles to go with five interceptions. Dalton Herley (110 total tackles, including 20 tackles for loss) and Bybee (105 tackles, including 17 TFLs with six sacks) are also forces. Barlow leads St. Mary’s with seven interceptions.
After a shaky start, Wynot’s defense has buckled down and the sixth-seeded Blue Devils (11-1) take a nine-game winning streak into the championship game. Following a 78-76 four-overtime victory over D-1 finalist Crofton, a 60-26 win over Creighton and a 36-30 OT loss against Archangels Catholic, Wynot limited its next six opponents to eight points or less and has allowed an average of 8.8 points in its last nine contests.
“Some of it was working on fundamentals and concepts of what we’re trying to do,” Heimes said. “We did rotate a few players around to probably position them at a better spot. Our defense played better and better as the year went on, but I also think that some of that came from gaining confidence — that’s a big part of it.”
Lane Heimes has recorded 115 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss to lead Wynot. Carter Hans has 5.5 sacks, while Kotner Koch has seven interceptions and Braylon Hans has four picks for the Blue Devils.
Offensively, Devin Brummer completes 69.3% of his pass attempts on the season for 1,745 yards and 31 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Koch has a team-high 59 receptions for 781 yards and 10 TDs, while Hans has caught 36 balls for 547 yards and 10 scores. Heimes adds 999 yards and 26 TDs rushing for the Blue Devils, who have scored 60 points or more five times.
Wynot has certainly impressed Allen.
“They’re fast, athletic, aggressive — they’ve got a lot of weapons and they’re a pretty talented group,” Allen said. “When you play as many seniors as they do, you know they’ve been around the block a few times. They’re going to be sharp, they’re going to be disciplined and you know that you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Preview courtesy of NSAA & writers Tony Chapman & Terry Douglass
