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NORFOLK — Hartington-Newcastle rolled past Lutheran High Northeast 58-22 on the road Sept. 12, improving to 3-0 on the season.
The Wildcats jumped out early behind their running game. Jason Heimes scored twice in the first quarter, from 2 and 4 yards, and finished with 163 yards on 24 carries. HNS led 13-0 after one quarter.
Quarterback Austin Sudbeck was efficient through the air, completing 9 of 11 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries.
Sudbeck connected with Mason Krause for a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and after a Heimes conversion run, the Wildcats stretched the lead to 21-0 with 7:28 left in the half.
The Eagles answered with a long touchdown pass, but Sudbeck found Carter Kelly for the first of two scoring strikes — this one from 19 yards — and then hit Kelly for the conversion to extend the margin to 29-6.
Heimes added his third score of the half, a 5-yard run with 53 seconds remaining, sending Hartington-Newcastle into halftime ahead 37-6.
Lutheran High scored first in the third quarter, but Sudbeck again found Kelly, this time from 30 yards, to make it 43-14. Heimes then made his mark on defense, stepping in front of a Cole McGregor pass and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown. Kayne Gratzfeld’s kick made it 50-14 and triggered the 35-point rule and a continuous clock. After the Eagles scored late in the fourth, Colter Feilmeier capped the night with a 65-yard touchdown run and added the conversion for the final 58-22 margin. Defensively, Ty Opfer paced the Wildcats with 13 tackles, while Ashton Wakeley added nine and a sack. Kyptin Collier tallied eight stops, including 2.5 for loss. Brayden Lammers recorded an interception to go with six tackles, and Kelly added seven stops.
Hartington-Newcastle will host Niobrara/ Verdigre (1-2) for Homecoming Friday, Sept. 19 at Russ Hochstein Field. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
Hartington-Newcastle 13 24 6 15 — 58 Lutheran High Northeast 0 6 8 8 — 22 Scoring Summary First Quarter H-N: Heimes 2 run (Gratzfeld kick), 10:49. 7-0 H-N: Heimes 4 run (kick failed), 2:24. 13-0 Second Quarter H-N: Krause 61 pass from Sudbeck (Heimes run), 7:28. 21-0 LHNE: Feddern 65 pass from McGregor (conversion failed), 6:05. 21-6 H-N: Kelly 19 pass from Sudbeck (Kelly pass from Sudbeck), 4:15. 29-6 H-N: Heimes 5 run (conversion good), 0:53. 37-6 Third Quarter LHNE: Feddern 11 pass from McGregor (conversion failed), 7:43. 37-12 H-N: Kelly 30 pass from Sudbeck (conversion failed), 5:21. 43-14 Fourth Quarter H-N: Heimes 32 interception return (Gratzfeld kick), 6:31. 50-14 LHNE: McDonald 4 run (Tietz pass from McGregor), 0:46. 50-22 H-N: Feilmeier 65 run (Feilmeier run), 0:34. 58-22 Hartington-Newcastle Passing: 9-11, 174 yards, 3 TD Rushing: 40-312 Total yards: 486 Passing — Sudbeck 9-11, 174 yards, 3 TD. Rushing — Sudbeck 13-78; Heimes 24-163, 3 TD; Feilmeier 2-68, TD; Opfer 1-3. Receiving — Kelly 6-98, 2 TD; Krause 1-61, TD; Heimes 2-15. Defense — Opfer 13 (0.5 TFL); Wakeley 9 (0.5 TFL, sack); K. Collier 8 (2.5 TFL); Kelly 7 (0.5 TFL); Lammers 6 (INT); B. Hochstein 4; Steffen 7 (TFL); others with 1-3. Heimes INT return TD.
