The Nemaha Central Middle School football team played hard against the Royal Valley Panthers in Meridan on Thursday, October 10. It was a cool, rainy, 40 degree day, but NCMS was still able to put on a magnificent show.
The Thunder started the first quarter with a powerful kick down the field to the Royal Valley Panthers. The Panthers struggled to get through the Thunder defense and were forced to punt the ball. The Panthers had a bad punt, and the Thunder received the ball near the five-yard line. NC ran in the ball from the five-yard line to score their first Thunder touchdown, and they also converted on a two-point conversion. On the Thunder’s next possession, the Panthers received a 15-yard face mask penalty. NC scored a touchdown on the next play and capitalized on the two-point conversion. Later in the quarter, a fun moment in the game was when one of the NC defensive linemen recovered a fumble and ran in for a touchdown. The Thunder also scored on the two-point conversion. The score after the end of the first quarter was 24-0 in favor of the Thunder.
In the second quarter, NC started off by scoring another Thunder touchdown early. The Thunder ran a pass play to their wide receiver to convert on another two-point conversion. Royal Valley struggled to get the ball through the Thunder defense on the next possession and were once again forced to hand the ball back over to the Thunder. The Thunder scored one more touchdown before half making the score 38-0 with the Thunder in the lead.
Royal Valley started off the third quarter with a great kick, leaving the NC football team with the ball at the 15-yard line. They ran a quarterback keeper and scored on an 85-yard run for yet another touchdown. NC could not collect another two-point conversion, making the score 44-0.
In the fourth quarter, NC took out some of their starters and put in some of the second string team. NC didn’t manage to score another touchdown, leaving the final score 44-0 in favor of the Thunder. There was no fifth quarter played due to a shortage of Royal Valley players.
“I thought that the team played very well together and I was very excited that I scored my first touchdown as a defensive linemen,” said Holden Bass.
“Despite the weather, our team played very well together,” said Kaden Peterson.
Click the link below for some more pictures from the Royal Valley football game.