Junior quarterback Jeter Worthley led the Lincoln East Spartans’ offense to a dominating victory over the Lincoln Northeast Rockets Thursday night. Worthley threw for three touchdowns in the Spartans 42-7 win.
Lincoln East scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters of the game, holding the Rockets to zero points until the fourth quarter. Worthley’s final touchdown, a 53-yard pass to senior Noah Burhoop with five minutes to go in the third quarter would seal it for the Spartans.
“It felt great, it just kinda put them away right there towards the end of the game,” Worthley said. “We struggled early on offensive efficiency to where we wanted it. So we settled in and we put them away.”
What Happened?
The Spartans started off the game on a high note, forcing and recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff. Lincoln East would take advantage of the turnover, scoring on a five-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Dash Bauman with 9:54 left to go in the first quarter.
The momentum was on the Spartans side as they went on and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by Bauman to go up 14-0 before the end of the first quarter. Lincoln East’s defense made t another stop on the Rockets, which allowed East to score on a 3-yard run by junior Troy Peltz to go up 21-0.
The Spartans scored once before half on a 35-yard pass by Worthley to senior Owen Laessig to go up 28-0.
Coming out of half, the Spartans changed up the game plan and started to air it out. Worthley found Laessig again for a 15-yard touchdown with 11 minutes to go in the third quarter.
Worthley’s final touchdown came on the aforementioned 53-yard touchdown pass to Burhoop to put the Spartans up 42-0. The Rockets’ only score of the game came on a 15-yard pass by senior Logan Hoff to junior Jacian Brown with 8 minutes to go in the fourth, making it 42-7.
Final Stats
Lincoln East:
Worthley finished 15/18 for 225 yards and three touchdowns on the night. The leading rusher was Bauman, who ran 11 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Leading receiver on the night was Burhoop, who caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Lincoln Northeast:
Hoff completed 11-for-24 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. Hoff also rushed 14 times for 34 yards. Senior running back Mike Dirksen led the team in rushing yards with 42 yards on eight carries. Brown led the team in receiving yards with 54 yards on eight catches and a touchdown.
What’s Next?
Lincoln East:
With the win, Lincoln East improves their win streak to three games improving to 3-1 on the season. The Spartans win on Thursday will help them down the line, which is important to Worthley.
He said the win helps keep their momentum going after their double overtime win over Southeast two weeks ago that has continued through this game.
The Spartans host the Columbus Discoverers for their homecoming game next Thursday before hosting the Millard South Patriots on Thursday, Oct. 6th.
Lincoln Northeast:
The loss drops the Rockets to 0-4 on the season and 0-2 against rival Lincoln schools. The Rockets will get a chance to get their first win on the season as they take on the Lincoln High Links next Thursday. After facing the Links, Northeast returns home to take on the Norfolk Panthers on Friday, Sep 28.
