Hail Varsity was on the scene Friday night at Burke Stadium to see Creighton Prep take on North Platte. It was a game that featured both teams running the football heavily. The Junior Jays came out on top of the matchup 42-24 behind strong offensive line play and a swarming defense.
Here are my five thoughts on the game.
Creighton Prep ground and pound
The Junior Jays lean heavily on their offensive line to pave the way for the offense to move the ball. It’s a talented group led by 2023 recruit Sam Sledge. Prep has the best offensive line in Class A from the games I’ve seen. The group helped two talented running backs, CharMar Brown and Jack Stessman, shine all game long. Both Brown and Stessman had multiple touchdowns during the game.
10-yard TD run for CharMar Brown. Good PAT and @CPFootball17 leads it 35-12 with 11:31 left in the game. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/aL5hTtNLyr
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithHV) October 2, 2021
Junior Jays swarm
The Junior Jays did a good job holding up on defense. It was stifling in the first half, doing a great job swarming to the football. It’s not easy to prepare for a team like North Platte that runs a lot of triple option schemes. Credit to the players and coaches for coming up with a good game plan and sticking to it. Senior captain Michael Barrett was in on a lot of tackles from his linebacker position.
Genatone all-around football player
Friday night was my first opportunity to see North Platte star Vince Genatone in action. After hearing so much about him as a prospect I’d say he lived up to expectations. As a running back he made big plays when they were available and was able to show off his speed. He was all over the field on defense too. He’s just a good football player that is going to make a college happy one day. Genatone might be best suited for a “rover” type position on defense in college. That would allow him to make plays in space for the team.
North Platte resiliency
North Platte’s ability to hang in there against Creighton Prep impressed me. The Junior Jays are a physically imposing team that can wear any team down. The Bulldogs showed good resiliency by sticking to their plan even down 28-6 at halftime. North Platte never gave up which gave them a shot to make things interesting at various points in the game. It just couldn’t get over the hump and make that big play. Coach Todd Rice has a good, tough football team on his hands.
Raising the bar
Creighton Prep has had an interesting season so far. The team is 4-2 after the win on Friday night. The two losses came at the hands of Omaha Westside and Bellevue West. Those two are probably two of the top three teams in Class A. The Junior Jays can play with anybody. Coach Tim Johnk told his team after the game to not be satisfied. They played a great first half but if they want to be a championship team a full four quarters must be played. The ability to keep raising the bar will serve them well in the long run.
Caught up with coach Tim Johnk of @CPFootball17 after the game to get his takeaways from the 42-24 victory. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/8pHatsrGnP
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithHV) October 2, 2021
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
