Discoverers pull off big road upset

LINCOLN �” Tony Linder did a good job blending into the background until the last minute.

The Columbus senior intercepted four passes and also caught a touchdown pass Friday to help the Discoverers earn a 28-7 victory against Lincoln Southwest at Seacrest Field before 1,755 fans.

“They just keep coming. It’s unbelievable,” Linder said.

Was it his best game?

“Not even close,” he said with a grin. “Some of it was just being in the right place at the right time to make a play.

“This was a tough week with the game on Monday (a loss to Lincoln Northeast). We just wanted to come out strong and make the most of it. It could be our last game of the year.”

Despite the upset victory, CHS just missed the playoffs. Columbus’ playoff fate was tied to Northeast’s as the Discoverers needed Norfolk to beat the Rockets on Friday to get a playoff spot. The Rockets beat Norfolk 21-7.

But playoffs or not, the Discoverers ended their season on a high note. In the game, they capitalized on a pair of Silver Hawk mistakes to take a 14-0 halftime lead.

Ethan Johnson raced in to recover a loose ball at the 39-yard line after a Silver Hawk punt snap wasn’t handled cleanly.

Quarterback Mike Ziola then found Linder for a 21-yard gain, and three plays later, Dustin Groteluschen ran over the right side for a touchdown.

Columbus scored again when Devin Thomas returned a punt 57 yards, but it was called back because of a penalty.

The Discoverers got one last chance before halftime when Linder grabbed his second interception after a pass popped out of Nick Sawyer’s hands.

Linder’s 45-yard return put Columbus at the Southwest 25 with 23 seconds left in the half. Three plays later, Ziola found Linder over the middle for the score.

“I don’t think the defense played too bad of a football game, considering the situation that our offense continued to put them in time after time after time again,” said Southwest coach Mark King.

Columbus had just 174 yards of total offense, but the Discoverers often had short distances to travel.

An onside kick by Columbus to start the second half wasn’t successful, but the Silver Hawks fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, and Dillon Greenlee pounced on it at the Southwest 45. Ziola hit Ethan Johnson 12 plays later for a 21-0 lead.

Linder returned his third interception 29 yards to the Southwest 11, and Mike Gross scored on a 3-yard run for a 28-0 lead.

“At halftime I told them, ‘No celebration, this game is not over.’ I told them the story of four years ago when we had a 17-0 lead at halftime on Southwest at home and ended up losing 34-17,” Columbus coach Craig Williams said. “We weren’t going to sit back and let them bring the game to us. We kept taking the game to them.”

Southwest scored on the third play of the fourth quarter when H.D. Sader hit Sawyer in stride with a 44-yard scoring pass.

But the comeback was cut short when Linder got his fourth and final interception, and Columbus ran off nearly eight minutes to seal the win.

Columbus 0 14 14 0 �” 28

Southwest 0 0 0 7 �” 7

• CHS �” Dustin Groteluschen 1-yard run (Mike Ziola kick); CHS �” Tony Linder 14-yard pass from Ziola (Ziola kick); CHS �” Groteluschen 3-yard run (Ziola kick); CHS �” Gross 3-yard run (Ziola kick); LSW �” Nick Sawyer 44-yard pass from H.D. Sader (Fisher kick).

TEAM STATISTICS

COL LSW

First downs 13 11

Rushes-yards 40-94 37-41

Passing yards 80 119

Passing 8-15-1 6-13-4

Return yards 131 43

Fumbles-lost 0-0 5-2

Penalties-yds 5-30 2-18

Punts-avg. 5-41.4 2-32.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

• RUSHING: CHS �” Groteluschen 18-63, Gross 14-28; LSW �” Fisher 11-47, Sharkey 5-21.

• PASSING: CHS �” Ziola 8-15-1-80; LSW �” Cotton 3-8-3-52; Sader 3-5-1-67.

• RECEIVING: CHS �” Linder 4-57, Otten 3-19; LSW �” Sawyer 1-44, Kremer 1-32, Fisher 3-30.