Niobrara Public Schools Logo

Varsity Football vs. CWC

October 17, 2023

It was a defensive slugfest Friday evening in the rain & cold when the CWC Renegades football team visited Verdigre to play the Niobrara-Verdigre Cougars.  The Cougars lost a heartbreaker by a score of 12-16 ending their season with a 3-5 record.  

The playing conditions were miserable, so we knew defense, ball-control, and turnovers would determine the outcome of this game.  N-V opened the scoring with a 1 yard Cash Wickersham TD run (PAT failed).  This score was set up by a Kellen Vesely forced fumble of the CWC quarterback which was recovered by Jacob Motacek.  But on CWC’s ensuing possession they answered right back with a long TD run and PAT coversion.  The rest of the 1^st quarter and entire 2^nd quarter was dominated by both defenses.

Halftime score N-V 6 CWC 8.

The second half saw more of the same struggles on offense and suffocating defense by both teams.  Then near the end of the 3^rd quarter Isaac Pavlik recovered another CWC fumble that was forced by Jordon Ingebo & Westin Bauer setting the Cougars up with a short field to score.  Cash Wickersham hit Kellen Vesely in the back of the endzone on a 10 yard TD pass (PAT failed) making the score 12-8 with momentum seeming to build for N-V.  This was even more evident as, in the 4^th quarter, Coy Wickersham hit a nice punt pinning CWC inside their own 1 yard line.  However, the Renegades would mount a 79 yard TD drive with PAT following to take the lead 16-12.  And that is how the game ended.

The Niobrara-Verdigre football team finished the 2023 season with a 3-5 record.  Thank you to the three seniors on the team for your leadership all season long… Cody Wickersham, Jordon Ingebo, and Brady Koehn.  I know it wasn’t the season you had hoped for after starting 3-0, and I feel bad for the crucial injuries that you endured.  Please know that you will be missed!  Thank you to the entire team for your willingness to work every day at practice and your desire to get better as a football player and, collectively, as a team.  It hurts now to know the playoffs were at our fingertips, but everything happens for a reason.  The future looks very bright for our N-V Cougar football program.  Thank you to all of those who helped with game management for the season… stats, chain gang, scoreboard & announcer, rescue squad.  And a huge thank you to the assistant coaches, managers, cheerleaders, fans, parents and boosters for all of your support and encouragement all season long.  See you in 2024!  GO COUGARS!  

GAME STATISTICS…