Friday night's notable Nebraska high school football games and top performers

Check out highlights of some notable games and top performances from Friday night's action in Nebraska high school football.

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Tough slate starts for Oakland-Craig

Oakland-Craig, ranked third in Class C-2, began a tough four-week stretch on the right foot with a 27-9 win over No. 6 Malcolm on Friday.

Oakland-Craig took a 19-3 lead to halftime, thanks to a big first half from Braylon Anderson as he was 19 of 28 for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Oakland-Craig, which handed Malcolm its only regular-season loss in 2023 with a 28-20 decision, will play at second-ranked Battle Creek next week and at No. 1 Norfolk Catholic in three weeks.

BlueJay pass game soars

Ashland-Greenwood finished a challenging first month with its best outing of the season as the BlueJays improved to 3-1.

Ashland had a last-minute win over Douglas County West, a loss to No. 1 Wahoo and a win over Columbus Scotus before pulling away from Class C-1 No. 5 Auburn 41-13 Friday.

Derek Tonjes threw five TD passes, three to all-state receiver Thomas Spears. That included a 92-yarder in the first half. Tonjes finished with 295 yards passing, while Spears had eight catches for 143 yards.

Elsewhere in C-1, Fort Calhoun lost six in a row last season when it finished with a 3-6 record.

The Pioneers improved to 3-1 this season with a statement win, rolling past perennial power Pierce 47-14. Fort Calhoun's loss on the season came a week ago when it fell 22-14 to Boys Town.

More challenges ahead

A week after rolling over then-No. 2 Gretna, Blair vaulted to No. 6 in the Class B rankings and was within 14-6 at halftime against No. 8 Norris on Friday.

But the Titans took over in the second half, and the road gets no easier for Blair.

It plays No. 2 Elkhorn North, No. 1 Bennington and No. 5 Seward the next three weeks. Blair ends the regular season with No. 3 Omaha Skutt.

In another matchup of ranked Class B teams, Seward got a late touchdown run from Ed Knott to win at Scottsbluff 28-27.

Losing streak over

Omaha Northwest broke a 29-game losing streak with a 30-6 win over Omaha Benson. Northwest's previous win came at the start of the 2021 season when the Huskies defeated Omaha Bryan 21-14.

Top performances

Jett Farwell, Pawnee City: Rushed for 282 yards and seven touchdowns on 16 carries in a win over Hampton.

Cole Heimes, Hartington-Newcastle: Was 8 of 10 passing for 224 yards and four TDs, rushed for 135 yards and a TD on 13 carries in a win over Niobrara-Verdigre.

Karter Lingenfelter, Plainview: Rushed for two TDs, threw a TD pass in the fourth quarter and intercepted a last-second pass to secure a 34-26 win over Elkhorn Valley.

Ethan Wieseler, Humphrey Archangels: Rushed for six TDs and passed for another in a 48-30 win over Riverside in a matchup of ranked foes.

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