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LINCOLN — The Wynot Blue Devils and O’Neill St. Mary’s Cardinals delivered an instant classic Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, combining for more than 900 yards of offense in the 2025 Class D2 8-man state championship game.
When the dust finally settled, it was Wynot walking away with its first state title after a 71–60 victory in one of the highest-scoring championship games in state history.
Wynot was led by senior Kotner Koch, who accounted for six touchdowns, hauled in 13 receptions for 265 yards and added two interceptions on defense. Quarterback Devin Brummer put together a nearly flawless performance, completing 23 of 26 passes for 394 yards.
“You’re talking about an awesome player — awesome leader. I cannot say enough about that kid,” Wynot coach Steve Heimes said.
St. Mary’s was fueled by quarterback Gage Hedstrom, who went 17 of 30 for 347 yards and was also a factor in the running game.
The game started in Wynot’s favor when the Cardinals fumbled the opening kickoff and Carter Hans recovered at the St. Mary’s 23-yard line. Three plays later, Lane Heimes scooted in for an 11-yard touchdown. Brummer ran in the conversion for an early 8–0 lead.
St. Mary’s answered quickly. Hedstrom connected with tight end Lane Bybee on a 44-yard scoring strike, then ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8–8.
Wynot reclaimed the lead on its next drive. An 18-yard catch and run by Koch set up a 2-yard Wildcat touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Blue Devils were back in front, 14–8.
After forcing a three-and-out, Wynot struck again, this time on a 62-yard bomb from Brummer to Braylon Hans. The conversion was stopped, but Wynot extended its lead to 20–8 late in the first quarter.
St. Mary’s countered with a pair of quick scoring drives. Hedstrom hit Drake Berg for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 20–16 at the end of the first quarter, then opened the second period with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Ben Barlow. The two-point attempt failed, but the Cardinals had grabbed a 22–20 lead.
Wynot responded immediately. Koch ripped off a 46-yard catch and run before Brummer connected with Kevin Steinhaus on a 10-yard touchdown. Brummer and Steinhaus hooked up again for the conversion, giving Wynot a 28–22 advantage.
Again, the Cardinals answered. Facing a fourth-andgoal from the 4-yard line, Hedstrom found Drake Berg for the touchdown to tie it at 28–28.
A Wynot fumble at the St. Mary’s 20-yard line proved costly when, three plays later, Hedstrom hit James Eby for a 27-yard touchdown. He ran in the conversion, giving the Cardinals a 36–28 lead.
Wynot closed the half with another scoring drive, highlighted by runs from Heimes and Brummer and a 30-yard gain by Hans. Brummer then fired a 10-yard touchdown pass to Koch. The conversion was intercepted by Barlow, keeping St. Mary’s in front by a slim 36–34 margin.
A successful squib kick recovery and a favorable video review decision put St. Mary’s back in the red zone. Hedstrom finished the drive with a quarterback sneak, and St. Mary’s carried a 42–34 halftime lead.
Wynot received the second-half kickoff and marched 64 yards in eight plays. An option pitch from Brummer to Heimes went for a 23-yard touchdown. Heimes then completed a halfback pass on the conversion to tie the game, 42–42.
St. Mary’s regained the lead on a 5-yard touchdown run by Miles Hamilton. The conversion failed, making it 48–42.
The Blue Devils answered once more when Koch got behind the defense on a deep post and Brummer hit him for a 57-yard touchdown. Wynot faked the kick on the conversion, and Heimes powered in from the 3-yard line to give the Blue Devils a 50–48 edge entering the fourth quarter.
Koch’s first interception of the game set up another score. After a 13-yard completion to Nixen Heimes, Koch punched in a 2-yard touchdown, and Brummer tacked on the extra point to push the lead to two scores.
Still, the Cardinals would not go away. Hedstrom led another strong drive, capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Bybee. A bad snap derailed the conversion attempt, leaving the score at 57–54.
Wynot struck quickly again, as Koch hauled in a 70yard touchdown pass down the middle. Another successful conversion extended the lead to 65–54.
St. Mary’s made one final push. A long 37-yard gain by Bybee set up a 5-yard Hedstrom touchdown run to cut the deficit to 65–60.
Wynot put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter.
After Heimes powered the offense into scoring territory, Brummer found Koch again in the end zone for a short touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Blue Devils were on top 71–60.
The Wynot defense held strong in the final two minutes, and Koch’s second interception sealed the championship.
Wynot 20 14 16 21— 71 St. Mary’s 16 26 6 12—60 Wynot St. Marys First downs 19 19 Rushing 39-138 26-91 Passing 23-26-394 17-30-347 Kick Returns 9-168 6-53 Third downs 6-10 5-10 Fourth downs 3-3 2-4 Sacks 4-24 1-5 Pts off TOs 15 8 Punts 1-40 1-40 Possession 27:52 20:08
PASSING
Wynot — Brummer: 23-26-394. St. Mary’s — Hedstrom: 17-30-347
RUSHING Wynot — Lane Heimes: 24-85; Brummer: 5-26; Nixen Heimes 2-18; Kottner Koch, 6-9; St. Mary’s Gage Hedstrom, 23-83; Drake Berg, 2-7; Keigan Couch, 1-1.
RECEIVING
Wynot — Koch: 13-265; Hans: 4-71; Lane Heimes: 4-35; Nixen Heimes, 1-13; Killian Steinhaus, 1-10. St. Mary’s — Barlow: 8-163; Eby: 5-96; Drake Berg: 2-35; Lane Bybee, 1-44; Logan Brabec, 1-9.
TACKLES
Wynot - Nixen Heimes, 10; Carter Hans, 8; Kotner Koch, 7; Braylon Hans, 4; Jed Nelson, 4; Lane Heimes, 4; Parker Schmidt, 3; Killian Steinhaus, 3; Jace Lange, 2; Devin Brummer, 1; Cash Lenzen, 1. O’Neill St. Mary’s - Eli Banks, 14; Drake Berg, 12; Gage Hedstrom, 11; Dalton Herley, 10; Lane Bybee, 9; Ben Pongratz, 6; Ben Barlow, 5; Keigan Couch, 3; James Eby, 2; Zane Cole, 1; Myles Hamilton, 1.
SACKS
Wynot - Jed Nelson, 2-16; Nixen Heimes, 1-4; Carter Hans, 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wynot - Kotner Koch, 2-61; Gage Hedstrom, 1-32.
