The Creighton Prep Junior Jays ended their football season following a 14-7 loss to #4 Elkhorn South in the first round of the state playoffs. The loss pushed the Junior Jays final record to 4-6 and marked their third first-round exit in the past four years. This loss capped a disappointing end to the season, with Prep losing five of their final six games after a promising 3-1 start.
The loss to the Storm is going to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Junior Jay football fans throughout the offseason. Contrary to last year’s playoff loss to Omaha Westside, this loss felt like a winnable game.
The Prep defense played their best game since shutting out Lincoln Southeast 24-0 earlier in the season.
Storm running back Gavin Shanahan, who came into the evening averaging nearly 130 rushing yards per game, was held to a season-low 34 yards on 20 carries. The Storm, Class A’s second-ranked rushing offense, was held to 1.7 yards per carry and was also a season low. While quarterback Madden Riggs threw for 189 yards, including a touchdown to wide receiver Landon Tate, the Storm were shut out in the second half and held below 20 points for the second time this season.
Despite that, the Prep offense could not capitalize off of the defensive dominance.
Aside from running back Jacob Ruby’s 63-yard touchdown run, the Junior Jays were held to 54 yards on 32 carries. Ruby had 18 carries for 24 yards outside his touchdown run, and his backfield partner Angelo Walker had zero yards on the ground. Quarterback Tony Coniglio ran 13 times for 30 yards and only mustered 63 yards in the air. The Junior Jays couldn’t find the red zone all evening.
Down 14-7 late, the Junior Jays’ offense had multiple chances to send the game to overtime. With three minutes left, a fumbled snap gave the ball to the Storm at the Prep 40-yard line. After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, the offense ended the game with a turnover on downs in Storm territory.
The game felt like a representation of the Junior Jays’ season.
Throughout this season, it felt like both the offense and defense could play well, just not at the same time. The offense totaled over 300 yards against Omaha Central and Fremont, but defensive struggles cost them both games. The defense held Papillion La-Vista and Elkhorn South well below their season average in points and yards. But the offense only scored 10 points against the Monarchs and Storm, and both matchups ended in defeat.
The offense averaged 20.2 points per game and showed they could perform. They unloaded for 50 points on Burke and 45 points on Norfolk. However, they were held to a single field goal against Papillion La-Vista and a lone touchdown against De Smet Jesuit, Westside, and Elkhorn South.
The main reason for this was the inconsistency in the running game. The Junior Jays only threw 151 times but ran nearly 400 times this year. When the run game got going, the Junior Jays’ offense thrived. When the Junior Jays ran for over 140 yards, they went 4-1. But when the ground game struggled, the offense was ineffective. When rushing for under 140 yards, they went 0-5. Ruby and Walker found the endzone 13 times in four victories but scored only twice in the six losses.
The defense faced similar issues. They allowed 23.8 points per game and showed dominance by shutting out Lincoln Southeast and holding Millard West to 10 points. However, they allowed 48, 47, and 34 in losses to De Smet, Westside, and Central.
This season feels more disheartening than last season’s finish. Last season saw the Junior Jays overcome a 1-4 start to make the playoffs. This year it was the opposite, as the Junior Jays lost five of their final six games after starting 3-1.
Next year, the Junior Jays will see significant changes to their roster. Junior running back Angelo Walker could receive a majority of the carries, with running back Jacob Ruby and quarterback Tony Coniglio both graduating. Junior quarterback Jake Lammers, who took snaps behind Coniglio, could be the favorite to take snaps next year, but this is nowhere near certain. The Junior Jays will also lose receivers Jackson Wurgler and Wyatt Lasher, as well as tight end Matt Sledge.
Defensively, the secondary looks strong for next year. Prep’s leading tacklers, safety Preston Woodward and cornerback Vincent Sall, both return. However, the defensive line and linebackers suffer more losses. Sean Skrydlak, the team’s leader in tackles for loss, will be graduating, as well as linebackers Ian Asselin and Daniel Kenney.
Overall, this team had the potential for a playoff run but fell just short. This should make the Junior Jays hungry for a run next year after two consecutive first-round exits.
