Ogallala wins the C1-7 District Championship and defeats previously unbeaten Sidney on Friday night

(Images in Media from Wix; To find this picture, search for "American Football" on Wix.com)

By: Evan Troxel

The Ogallala Indians needed the late-game heroics of Jorge Carrizalez to defeat the previously unbeaten Sidney Red Raiders 22-15 on Friday night.

Ogallala was leading 22-15 when Sidney had a late drive with under 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter in Ogallala's territory inside the 20-yard line, the red zone, hoping to score a touchdown and eventually tie up the score.

Unfortunately for Sidney, Jorge Carrizalez got a hand on the thrown football, the ball hung up in the air out of Carrizalez's control for a brief second and Carrizalez eventually intercepted the pass.

"I was just praying to God that, that something would happen. I just, I honestly just prayed, I just talked to God the whole time," Jorge Carrizalez said.

"I was having a really bad game the whole time. But, um, I just looked to God the whole time. And I just seen the ball coming and got the interception."

The interception, in effect, mostly eliminated any chance of Sidney being able to win on Friday night.

Sidney had three timeouts and used all three on the next three offensive snaps by Ogallala. Harry Caskey ran the football on the third and one play, and got the first down, and Ogallala then took two kneel-downs and sealed the victory.

Ogallala (now 6-2) had come into the contest winning five-straight games. Sidney started the season winning their first seven games.

The win by Ogallala, resulted in Ogallala becoming the champions of District Seven in Class C-1.

"That's a big deal," Ogallala head coach Brent Bauer said.

Bauer said that winning the district is not something that is easy to do.

"They're tough to win and this is a tough district and so to win this district is a huge huge deal for our guys."

As a result of winning the district, I believe Ogallala clinched an automatic berth into the Class C-1 playoffs, which I believe the playoffs start on October 27th.

Ogallala went undefeated in District Seven play in Class C-1 going 4-0, which included Friday's win over Sidney.

Sidney, with seven straight wins to start the season and now with one loss, is most likely also going to make the Class C-1 playoffs as well with their near perfect won-lost record, despite not being the District Seven champion of Class C-1 for the 2023-24 season.

Sidney is 2-1 in Class C-1 District Seven play so far this season and most likely would have won the district if they defeated Ogallala on Friday night.

The visitors from Sidney scored two touchdowns which were both by Luke Holly. Holly's first touchdown was a rushing touchdown of 18 yards, while the second one was a screen-play touchdown reception in which Holly ran most of (if not all of) the 53 yards needed to score (without the assistance of the pass).

For Ogallala, Caden Rezac scored two rushing touchdowns, and he was also named the Homecoming King at halftime. (Emily VanBorkum was named the Homecoming Queen.) Harry Caskey also scored a rushing touchdown for Ogallala.

Sidney (7-1) goes home and will take on the Alliance Bulldogs (2-6) next week for their final district matchup of the regular season.

Alliance, 0-2 in district play, has lost their last five games of this regular season after winning their second and third games of this regular season.

Ogallala (6-2), on the other hand, will travel to Holdrege (0-8) to battle the Dusters next Friday.

Here is a brief summary of the Sidney at Ogallala game on Friday night:

Ogallala started the game receiving the opening kickoff from Sidney. Ogallala started with the ball on their own 27-yard line and marched down the field and got to the Sidney 14-yard line. Ogallala got to the Sidney 11 on the next play, but could get no closer on the next two plays after that.

Timeout Ogallala.

Ogallala then turned the ball over on downs on fourth down on a completion to about the five-yard line, just short of the first down.

Sidney got the ball to their own 14 and they went three-and-out and Ogallala got the ball on the Sidney 47 and they went three-and-out and had to punt the football as well.

Sidney got the football on their own nine and got up to their own 32, but they had to punt again. A false start penalty on Sidney after Sidney's first first down of the game killed the drive for Sidney.

Ogallala got the football back on their own 41 and that was the end of the first quarter with no points being scored in the quarter.

Ogallala took eight running plays and Caden Rezac scored a touchdown running left and forward from seven yards out. Ogallala called Caden Rezac's number on the second play of the drive, a four-yard gain, as well as the final four plays of the drive resulting in a total of 43 yards alone and six points on the scoreboard.

Harry Caskey ran it in for the successful two-point conversion.

Ogallala led eight to nothing.

At this point, there was 8:08 left in the 2nd quarter.

Of course you know what happens next. Sidney had to respond.

And they did.

Sidney started on their own 25-yard line and had an 11-play drive, with ten of those plays being running plays. Sidney's Luke Holly scored from 18 yards out running on the left side, close to and inside the left hashmarks, and easily had room to run about the last ten yards of the touchdown run.

Landon Riddle ran to the left near the left pylon in the west end zone, and got to the end zone untouched for the two-point conversion.

The game was tied at eight with 3:30 left in the second quarter.

Ogallala started with the football at their own 37 after the kickoff with 3:24 left in the second quarter.

Ogallala ran nine-straight running plays, and then they called timeout. During those nine-plays, Rezac ran it at least five times and three times on the last three of those nine plays. Caskey ran it three times at least.

At this point there was like 6.5 seconds (or something like that) on the game clock in the first half. Ogallala had the ball on the Sidney 15-yard line. I believe it was second down.

Ogallala quarterback Edan Cain rolled out to his right and quickly got sacked back at the Sidney 26. Ogallala's head coach Brent Bauer quickly called timeout and there were 1.5 seconds left despite the fact that Sidney's fans thought that the first half had ended.

So Cain then threw the ball on third down to the back right pylon of the end zone (closest to the goal post) and the ball was intercepted by Sidney. (I still don't know who intercepted the football for Sidney, so don't ask me anytime soon.)

That ended the first half.

Sidney and Ogallala were tied at eight.

Ogallala had to kick to Sidney to start the second half.

Sidney got the football on their own 40-yard line, they had two running plays, and threw an incompletion to Landon Riddle on third down, and as a result were forced to punt.

Sidney then pinned Ogallala deep in Ogallala territory at the six-yard line.

There was 10:28 left to go in the third quarter. (There are 12-minute quarters in Varsity High School 11-man American Football in Nebraska.)

Ogallala's Harry Caskey and Kolby Nowak got a majority of the carries on the drive. Caskey had at least ten carries, Nowak had at least seven carries and Caden Rezac had at least three carries on the drive.

Before the twentieth play of the drive, Sidney had an offsides penalty which moved the football from the Sidney 10 to the Sidney five-yard line. Kolby Nowak rushed on the play to the Sidney three-yard line, and that was the end of the third quarter.

After a false start penalty on Ogallala to start the fourth quarter, Caden Rezac ran it to the Sidney one-yard line.

The drive was 22 plays and Harry Caskey scored on the next play, a running play, from one-yard out.

Kolby Nowak ran it for the two-point conversion, but he failed to get to the goal line.

So Ogallala led 14 to 8 with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Sidney got the ball on their own 33-yard line after the Ogallala kickoff with 11:01 to go in the fourth quarter.

Sidney's quarterback Isak Doty ran it twice and got a first down. Doty then threw an incompletion to Reid Fiscus. Doty then ran for no gain and it was third down.

Sidney set up a well-designed screen play in which the quarterback went to the right and then he threw to his running back Luke Holly to the left after buying a few seconds of time. Holly obviously caught the ball and followed his blockers and eventually ran by his blockers and ran down the left sideline for a 53-yard touchdown into the west end zone!

Sidney made the extra point and Sidney then led 15 to 14 with 9:43 left to go in the fourth quarter.

Ogallala then got the ball back after the Sidney kickoff on their own 34 yard-line with 9:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Ogallala had an 11-play drive and Caden Rezac scored from 4 yards out with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter. Ogallala decided to go for two, and Ogallala's Drue Barbee caught a pass on a quick play-fake, play-action pass.

So the two-point conversion for Ogallala was successful.

Ogallala led 22 to 15 at that point.

Sidney then got the ball on their own 41-yard line after the Ogallala kickoff with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter. Luke Holly ran for two yards and then an incompletion happened in which the Sidney receiver almost came up with the pass somewhere in Ogallala territory near the Ogallala 40. Caden Rezac however provided enough pressure as a defensive back to cause the pass to not be caught by the Sidney receiver.

Third down.

Sidney ran to their 47.

Fourth Down and Four.

Isak Doty then ran to the Ogallala 19 yard-line picking up a 34-yard gain on the play, angling his way to the right sideline I believe. Sidney ran the ball on the next play to the Ogallala 18.

Not much time left in the game at this point.

Doty then threw an interception to Ogallala's Jorge Carrizalez.

Ballgame.

Pretty much.

Ogallala took over on their own 11-yard line with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter.

Rezac ran to the Ogallala 18 and Sidney called timeout.

Caskey ran it to the Ogallala 20. Timeout #2 of the half by Sidney.

Caskey ran it to the Ogallala 22 and Sidney called their last timeout.

At this point, there was 1:13 left in the game.

Ogallala took two-kneel downs and they won the game!