During this rivalry game, the Knights and the Blue Jays meet up once again for the annual rivalry. Pierce came out looking for their first win this season.

MVP

Ethan Piper

Norfolk

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Bryce Bierman

Pierce

Bryce is a 3-year letterman in football and also a leading member in the band, on the speech team, and in the spring, a member of the Bluejay golf team. Bryce is also a member of Pierce’s National Honors Society and Robotics team. Bryce plans to attend a 4-year college but is currently undecided.

Dillon Hupp

Norfolk

Dillon is a 2-year letterman in football, a 3-year letterman in wrestling and a 1-year letterman in soccer. He is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to study agronomy at Northeast Community College at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

HALL OF FAME

Eric Koehlmoos

Pierce

Eric graduated from Pierce in 2009 where he played Quarterback/Runningback and safety for Pierce High School during the 2005 through 2008 seasons. He was a 1st team all-state player during his sophomore and junior seasons and an All-Nebraska 1st team selection his senior year. Eric led Pierce to 3 victories over Norfolk Catholic in his career. He ran for 235 yards and 3 TD’s in the game as a sophomore. As a junior, Eric intercepted 4 passes during the regular season game, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also had 2 rushing TDs during that game. In the semi-final match up that same season, Eric ran for 92 yards and intercepted one pass. Eric led Pierce High School to back-to-back state championships during his junior and senior seasons!

Dusty Keiser

Norfolk

Dusty graduated Norfolk Catholic in 2000 and played Wingback and Linebacker during his 4 years on the football team. Dusty started every game in his four years of high school for Norfolk Catholic. Including 5 against Pierce, in which he was 5 – 0. In the regular season game in 1998, his Junior year, Dusty caught the winning touchdown pass in the 4th quarter as NC defeated Pierce 28 – 21. In his Senior year, the NC Pierce game was again a classic. Dusty blocked an attempted Field Goal that would have given Pierce the win, then caught the winning TD pass in overtime to win the game for Norfolk Catholic 23 – 17. Pierce and Norfolk Catholic met in the State Championship game later that season and Dusty caught a TD pass in that game as NC won the Title 35 – 7.

GAME SUMMARY

The Knights outscored the Blue Jays 21-0 on the 2nd quarter, on their way to a 41-14 win over their rival. It didn’t take long for Norfolk Catholic to dent the scoreboard, as sophomore Dylan Kautz took the first play from scrimmage 80 yards for a touchdown. Pierce would answer on the drive, as Collin Tinker ran it in from 17 yards out to tie the game at 7. It stay tied until the 2nd quarter, when Knight quarterback Myles Vrbka connected with Andy Bettenhausen on a 39-yard pass play that set up a first and goal from the 1. Kautz would finish the drive a play later, giving the Knights a lead they would never give up. Kautz finished the game with 143 yards and three TD’s on 12 carries, but left the game in the 2nd quarter after appearing to tweak his ankle on a 25-yard TD run. His replacement, Jacob Molacek, ran for two more scores. The win put Norfolk Catholic to 3-2 on the year, while Pierce falls to 0-5.