The Scottsbluff Bearcats used a punishing running attack on Friday night to beat Beatrice 54-21 in the first round of the Class B playoffs.
Scottsbluff will advance to the quarterfinals next Friday night to play #2 seed Aurora on the road.
Scottsbluff ran for 515 yards and averaged 10 yard per carry as a team in the win.
Sophomore running back Sebastien Boyle rushed 29 times for 315 yards with three touchdowns while junior quarterback Braeden Stull ran 15 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Stull also completed four of six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
The first quarter featured 42 total points. Scottsbluff scored barely over one minute into the game on a three play drive that was capped off by Stull’s 10 yard run. Beatrice answered quickly on the ensuing kickoff as they ran a reverse and Elliot Jurgens went took it the to the end zone to tie the game.
Four plays later it was Stull connecting with Jose Rodriguez on a 36 yard touchdown pass. Beatrice answered back on a 50 yard drive, eventually scoring on a Deegan Nelson 4 yard run to even the score at 14-14.
From that point forward it was a total blowout.
Scottsbluff scored twice more in the first quarter with Stull runs of 33 and 60 yards and then Boyle got into the act for the first time in the second quarter as the Cats led at halftime 35-14. Scottsbluff had put up 324 yards rushing in the first half alone.
There was plenty more Boyle in the second half. In the third quarter he scored from 18 yards out and then in the fourth quarter he ripped off a 43 yard run showing power, balance, and speed on that romp for six.
Beatrice had one more big play in them in the fourth quarter with Austin Burroughs connecting with Jurgens on a 82 yard pass for a score.
The final points of the night came when Scottsbluff’s Josiah Mobley ran one in on a quarterback keeper from 5 yards.
Defensively the Bearcats held the Orangemen to 92 yards rushing on the night; that’s 140 yards less than they averaged during the regular season. The Cats came up with 9 tackles for loss in the game and one sack and a forced fumble.
As for next week, it’ll be the fourth game between Scottsbluff and Aurora in the last two seasons. Aurora has won the first three. The Huskies won at home in the regular season last year before really pounding Scottsbluff 54-3 in the first round of the playoffs. Then this season in week three Aurora came to Bearcat Stadium and won 43-22.
Class B first round scores
- Scottsbluff 54, Beatrice 21
- Aurora 49, Lexington 7
- Bennington 51, McCook 13
- Waverly 59, Northwest 13
- Seward 21, Roncalli 19
- Elkhorn 36, York 0
- Plattsmouth 19, Gross Catholic 13
- Skutt 31, Norris 10
