Lincoln Southwest escaped with a 17-14 overtime victory over rival Lincoln Southeast Friday night at Seacrest Field. John Hohl’s 22-yard field goal came after Southeast failed on fourth-down on its overtime possession.
It was a calm fall night at Seacrest Field as the Lincoln Southwest Silverhawks took on the Southeast Knights in a classic rivalry matchup. Both sections contained spirited fans, engaging in the contest throughout the game.
It was a sloppy start to the game for both teams. Penalties were a major factor in the first half as neither team could capitalize.
It was clear that both teams wanted to establish the run, and establish it between the tackles. This led to a 15-yard touchdown run by Max Buettenback around the edge to put the Knights up 7-0 with 8:05 left in the second quarter.
That happened to be the only score in the first-half as both teams spent most of the second quarter punting back and forth to each other.
Southwest set the tone for an explosive second half, with Cal Newell punching in a 5-yard touchdown up the middle on their first drive to tie the game at 7-7. The Knights immediately answered, with quarterback Owen Baxter scoring a rushing touchdown up the middle to maintain a 14-7 lead with 3:03 left in the third quarter.
After a grueling back-and-forth battle by both squads well into the fourth quarter, the Hawks picked up momentum. They executed a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Cal Newell up the middle with 1:40 left, tying the game at 14. Each team had one more offensive possession. Nothing came of them, bringing the game to overtime.
The Knights won the overtime coin toss, took the ball, but were stopped at the six-yard on fourth down. Southwest didn’t fail in its only overtime opportunity, walking away with a hard-fought 17-14 victory behind Senior running back Cal Newell’s 2 rushing touchdowns.
Southwest (5-1) is on the road at South Sioux City on Friday. Southeast (3-3) travels to Millard West for a game on Friday.
