Rain, miscues dampen Storm

Nobody could pinpoint the exact moment Friday night’s battle began to slip away from Creek Valley. But they were certain of the reason a tight 6-6 first quarter contest ended in a 54-6 Crawford victory.

“We just let mistakes get to us,” Creek Valley’s Dane McConnell said.

Certainly the numbers were tipped in Crawford’s favor. On a night when lightning delayed the kickoff and heavy rain drenched first half proceedings, the Storm turned the ball over six times and failed to control another half dozen snaps.

Weather affected both sides early on. The Rams’ opening drive ended when quarterback Colton Michael lost control of the exchange on Creek Valley’s 11. The opportunistic Jared Savely fell on it, handing possession to the home side.

But on their first play from scrimmage, the wet ball squirted from fullback Cody Simmons’ grasp. Crawford recovered within striking distance of the goal line and Joe Kriz made the Storm pay, scoring from 12 yards out.

Creek Valley answered immediately. Two grinding carries by McConnell and a 31 yard burst by Simmons pushed the ball deep into Rams’ territory. Maverick Widdowson then tested his arm against the downpour, lobbing a 25 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Josh Schievelbein.

“Maverick made a good decision,” Storm head coach Todd Westover observed. “It was a bright spot in our evening.”

Schievelbein caught the ball on the 15 and headed for the end zone with three defenders in pursuit.

“I was scared I was going to get hit from behind,” he reported.

The score evened matters at 6-6 with 9:20 elapsed in the first. The battle of 0-3 teams was shaping as advertised. Keen observers expected a slug it out affair, with one side emerging from the fray with their first win.

Perhaps momentum shifted away from Creek Valley on the ensuing series. Crawford’s Jason Cuevas took the kick off and drove into Storm territory, before being spun to the ground by Schievelbein. After two solid defensive plays, Creek Valley bit on motion to the left, only to watch as Rams quarterback scampered 40 yards to paydirt on a naked bootleg.

The Storm tried to respond, but a holding penalty reeled back a promising kick return by Savely that might have given them a beachhead inside the Crawford 10. They rallied back for a moment, thanks to a 16 yard sprint by McConnell that brought them back into enemy territory.

Conditions did not favor the Storm, however. Widdowson and Simmons misconnected on a pitch, at a cost of four yards. A delay of game penalty set them back another five. Then a Widdowson pass ended up in the arms of Crawford’s Michael.

“We can’t make that many mistakes and expect to win games,” Westover said.

The Rams took advantage of the turnover, pushing the ball across for another touchdown. They scored once more before halftime, heading into the break with a 28-6 advantage.

Yet the real difference in Friday night’s contest may have been Crawford’s line. With two down linemen outweighing Creek Valley’s most fearsome frontman by more than 30 pounds each, the Rams were eventually able to control the trenches. McConnell bullied his way for 45 yards on 15 carries, a 3.0 average for the game. Simmons broke free for runs of 31 yards in the first quarter and 36 on his final attempt. In between he took the ball 10 times—sometimes edging forward, other times losing a few, adding up to no gain.

The big line, with Taylor Alcorn patrolling just behind, proved difficult to budge.

“We couldn’t establish a running game,” Westover acknowledged.

Meanwhile Crawford’s workhorse, Kriz, racked up 93 yards. Alcorn tacked on 75 and Michael rambled for 136.

Errors continued to plague the Storm in the second half, allowing the scoreboard to tilt more heavily in the visitor’s favor. Early in the third, the Rams recovered another fumble inside the Creek Valley five and made the home side pay. Alcorn added six more later in the period.

As is their habit, however, the Storm kept flaring, never letting up. Down 42-6 in the fourth, Gage Koenen hustled to drag down Crawford’s quarterback for big loss. Moments later Keegan Michel refused to give up on a play, wrestling Michael to the ground to prevent a sure touchdown.

“We didn’t execute,” McConnell said. “We have the ability to beat any team in the state of Nebraska. We just have to execute and play hard football.”

With that attitude, Creek Valley heads into Friday night's contest at South Platte.

Score by Quarters

Crawford 14 14 14 12 -54

Crk Valley 6 0 0 0 - 6