Football · State semifinals · Class C1 · Recap
Boys Town beats Ashland-Greenwood 20-10, reaches Class C1 final
No. 2 Boys Town beat No. 6 Ashland-Greenwood 20-10 in a Class C1 state semifinal and is unbeaten heading to Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2008.
No. 2 Boys Town beat No. 6 Ashland-Greenwood 20-10 on Friday at Boys Town in a Class C1 semifinal. Boys Town entered 11-0 and is 12-0 after the win. Ashland-Greenwood entered 9-2 and finished 9-3, losing in the semifinals for the second straight year. Boys Town had beaten No. 15 Alliance and then Lincoln Christian 13-8. Ashland-Greenwood had beaten No. 11 Roncalli 31-23 and then won 14-13 in overtime at Chadron. Trusted play-by-play is partial and covers the scoring through 13-3.
Ashland-Greenwood kicked off to start the game. Two flags, the second wiping out Janard Murphy's 50-yard touchdown run, preceded Boys Town's first score. On fourth-and-10, Chase White hit Shawn Lewis for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 6:49 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good, and Boys Town led 6-0. It was 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Lewis scored his second touchdown of the night on a 10-yard run with 10:14 left in the second, after a third was called back on a penalty, and Boys Town led 13-0. Rogan Cerveny had a sack for Ashland-Greenwood with 1:20 left in the half. Caleb Schinck made a 37-yard field goal with six seconds left for the Bluejays' first points. His first try hit the line of scrimmage, but a Boys Town false start gave him another chance. Boys Town led 13-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, at about 5:22, RJ Goff intercepted a pass for Ashland-Greenwood. Boys Town pressure and a roughing call later extended a Boys Town drive. Ashland-Greenwood then scored on a 79-yard touchdown, making it 13-10. The clock was approximate, about 4:01 left in the third, and the receiver was not identified because trusted accounts conflicted on the name.
In the fourth, after a fourth-down stop of Ashland-Greenwood, Murphy scored on a 68-yard touchdown run, making it 20-10. The exact clock was not clear. That run was the dagger. Boys Town later converted a fake punt on fourth-and-18 in its own territory with 6:19 left. An interception ended Ashland-Greenwood's last drive. The 20-10 score stood as the final.
Boys Town's MaxPreps stats cover 10 games and do not include the quarterfinal. Over that span, White had thrown for 1,018 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jalyn Conner had run for 596 yards, and Murphy had added 436 yards and nine rushing touchdowns, along with four interceptions on defense. Wayne Deir had caught passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns. Shawn Lewis had 19 catches for 265 yards and 327 rushing yards. Michael Sanchez had 71 tackles, and Khyren Wilson had 54. Ashland-Greenwood's Grayson Nolan entered with 2,170 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 189 carries in eight games. Jack Johnson had added 704 rushing yards. Chase Carson had thrown for 564 yards. Sam Mundt led the defense with 60 tackles, and RJ Goff had 14 catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns plus three interceptions.
The teams shared four opponents. Ashland-Greenwood beat Syracuse 41-7 and Boys Town beat the Rockets 40-7. Against Roncalli, the Bluejays won 45-21 and 31-23 and the Cowboys won 42-13. Against Arlington, the scores were 46-6 for Ashland-Greenwood and 48-7 for Boys Town. Against Auburn, they were 35-14 and 55-7. Ashland-Greenwood's losses this season were 20-19 to Wahoo and 33-29 at Lakeview.
Boys Town will face Adams Central in the Class C1 final on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 2:45 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Adams Central beat Syracuse 21-15 in the other semifinal. It is Boys Town's first trip to Memorial Stadium since 2008.
Scoring summary
Published scoring is partial. Plays with a quarter and a clock are listed as table rows. Later scores without a clear clock are listed as checkpoints.
| Time | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 6:49 | Boys Town | On fourth-and-10, Chase White to Shawn Lewis 22-yard touchdown pass, extra point no good | 0-6 |
| Q2 10:14 | Boys Town | Shawn Lewis 10-yard touchdown run, his second touchdown of the night, after a third was called back on a penalty | 0-13 |
| Q2 0:06 | Ashland-Greenwood | Caleb Schinck 37-yard field goal; his first try hit the line of scrimmage, but a Boys Town false start gave him another chance | 3-13 |
Third quarter (about 4:01): Ashland-Greenwood 79-yard touchdown, Boys Town 13, Ashland-Greenwood 10
Fourth quarter: After a fourth-down stop, Janard Murphy 68-yard touchdown run, Boys Town 20, Ashland-Greenwood 10
Final: Boys Town 20, Ashland-Greenwood 10
Sources
Updates from trusted accounts. Season stats from MaxPreps. Seeds, records and prior playoff results from the NSAA bracket.