Aside from a 62-0 shellacking by Bellevue West, Columbus finished the second half of the football season strong.

Far and away the most exciting game from the latter half of the season came when Columbus ended its 18-year losing streak against the Kearney Bearcats.  Despite trailing 14-0 early in the first quarter, Columbus rallied back to add 7 points in each of the first three periods.  In the fourth quarter, with Kearney leading and Columbus facing a long field goal on fourth down to tie the game, coach Craig Williams called a timeout and brought his offense back on the field.  With the game on the line, senior quarterback Brodie Mickey threw a dime to fellow senior Ernest Hausman in the back corner of the endzone to take the lead.  Columbus sealed the deal with less than a minute to play when junior Liam Blaser intercepted the Kearney pass, allowing Columbus to dictate the final seconds of the game with their offense. 

To follow up the big Kearney win, Columbus continued to roll through the competition by nearly doubling up on Omaha Northwest to the tune of a 55-28 road win. This game extended the Columbus winning streak to 6, the longest such streak in over 20 years. In the entire first half of the game, Columbus scored a whopping 41 points, while Northwest only scored 14. With the big lead, Columbus took its foot off the gas in the second half, only scoring 14 additional points to maintain their lead.

Unfortunately, Columbus’s six-game win streak ended against eventual Class A District 4 winner Bellevue West. Bellevue West won the game against Columbus 62-0.

Columbus ended the regular season at home by defeating cross-state rival North Platte. The first half of the game was deadlocked, resulting in 21 points for both squads. In the second half of the game, Columbus outscored North Platte 17-7, ending up in a 10 point win at home.

Columbus will begin postseason play with a rematch against North Platte. Despite a better overall record and a head-to-head win, Columbus will be forced to hit the road.  Coach Patrick Clark clarified that “Power points are the basis for the playoff seeding.  We ended with 368 points and (NPHS) with 372; thus, they are the eight seed and we are the nine.  It all boils down to the fact that, according to power points, we played an easier schedule and they have better wins.”  

While the seeding was certainly a disappointment to the Discoverers, Coach Williams is confident in his squad’s ability to take their show on the road.  “The reality is we get an opportunity to go on the road and play a top ten team in the playoffs.  These are the games that define a program.  Our first meeting on Monday morning at 7:00 is the last that we talked about seeding.  We know what we have to do, and that is win and advance.

The rematch will kick off in North Platte on Friday, October 29 at 7:00.  Columbus will be bringing a small contingency from their State Superior Award-winning marching band to pep up the contest.

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