Football · State semifinals · Class B · Recap
Skutt holds off Gretna 20-17, returns to Class B final
Omaha Skutt Catholic built a 20-3 lead, then stopped a late tying field-goal try to beat previously unbeaten Gretna 20-17 in a Class B state semifinal.
No. 5 Omaha Skutt Catholic beat No. 1 Gretna 20-17 on Friday at Gretna, ending the Dragons' unbeaten run. Skutt entered 9-2. Gretna entered 11-0 and had beaten Skutt 24-10 at home on Aug. 28.
Gretna fumbled on an early possession, and Skutt recovered. Wyatt Liebentritt scored on a 23-yard touchdown reception, and O'Hara added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 8:56 left in the first quarter. After the kickoff was returned to midfield, Gretna fumbled again and Skutt recovered. A later Skutt drive ended with a penalty and a missed field goal. It was 7-0 after one.
Max Brewer kicked a 40-yard field goal with 11:08 left in the second quarter to make it 7-3. With 10:55 left, Hudson Friesen scored on a first-snap direct-snap touchdown. The extra point was blocked, and Skutt led 13-3 at halftime.
A Gretna drive to start the second half ended in a missed field goal. Easton Elam, fully back from a Game 1 injury, hit Friesen for gains of 30 and 41 yards on the drive, then found him on a jump-ball fade. Friesen won the jump ball and ran it the rest of the way for a touchdown, and O'Hara's extra point made it 20-3 with 3:21 left in the third.
Gretna answered in the fourth. Cayson Schlotfeld scored on a second-effort lunge for the final yard on fourth-and-goal with 11:28 left, making it 20-10. After a third-down stop, Schlotfeld forced a fumble at the Skutt 26, and Maycen Walters hit Henry Hildebrand on a double-reverse flea-flicker on the next play to make it 20-17 with 9:38 left.
Skutt punted with 8:06 left. Friesen later intercepted Walters, and with 5:03 left Lucas Heller intercepted Walters and returned it 30 yards to the 10. Schlotfeld then intercepted a third-down pass in the end zone with 3:24 left. Gretna reached first down at the Skutt 37, and a facemask moved the ball to the 12, but the Dragons were backed up to third-and-16. A tying field-goal try was no good. With :56 left and Gretna out of timeouts, Bolding picked up the clinching first down.
Six-time champion Skutt is back in Lincoln for the first time since its 2024 title and will face the Blair/Gretna East winner in the Class B final on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7:15 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Blair at Gretna East kicks off at 8:00 p.m. CT.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 8:56 | Omaha Skutt Catholic | After an early Gretna fumble recovered by Skutt, Wyatt Liebentritt 23-yard touchdown reception and O'Hara extra point | 7-0 |
| Q2 11:08 | Gretna | Max Brewer 40-yard field goal | 7-3 |
| Q2 10:55 | Omaha Skutt Catholic | Hudson Friesen first-snap direct snap touchdown; extra point blocked | 13-3 |
| Q3 3:21 | Omaha Skutt Catholic | Easton Elam to Hudson Friesen jump-ball fade touchdown and O'Hara extra point | 20-3 |
| Q4 11:28 | Gretna | Cayson Schlotfeld second-effort lunge for the final yard from fourth-and-goal | 20-10 |
| Q4 9:38 | Gretna | After Cayson Schlotfeld forces a fumble at the Skutt 26, Maycen Walters to Henry Hildebrand double-reverse flea-flicker touchdown | 20-17 |
Sources
Update from @stuOWH, @SkuttFB, @NENextt, @MetroSportsLive, @LjsLuke, @NEBHSFB, @THEnebpreps.