After a sluggish defeat against Papillion La-Vista, Prep traveled downtown to take on the tenth-ranked Central Eagles. Both teams sought their first district victory, as Central fell to second-ranked Westside in their district opener.
And while the Junior Jays’ offense scored 30 for the first time since week two, the Junior Jays were stunned by a last second touchdown in a 34-30 loss, spoiling their homecoming football game and harming their playoff chances.
Central quarterback B.J. Newsome and running back Kylonn Haynie tore through a Prep defense that struggled all night. After running for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Junior Jays last year, Haynie exploded for a career high four touchdowns, including a career-long 81-yard touchdown rush. Newsome threw for two scores, one being a game-winning 26-yard pass to tight end Isaac Ackerman, which gave the Eagles the lead with one second remaining. However, Newsome’s legs played a major factor as well. He evaded sacks all night, including three on the final drive.
This loss is disheartening, as it pushes Prep to 0-2 in district play and puts them in a challenging position to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Despite the loss, there were still lots of positives.
The offense delivered their best game since scoring 50 against Burke. After struggling the past few weeks, quarterback Tony Coniglio shined. He used his legs to run for 142 yards and four rushing touchdowns, both career highs. Running back Jacob Ruby ran for 114 yards on only 15 carries and returned a kickoff to the Central 29 yard line.
The only knock on the offense was turnovers. Two fumbles and an interception gave the Eagles prime scoring opportunities, throughout the game.
The Junior Jays’ next matchup is against the Fremont Tigers. The Tigers enter at 3-3 and are coming off a 63-6 thrashing against Westside. It’s the first time the Junior Jays travel outside of Omaha since their 48-7 loss to De Smet Jesuit.
THIS WEEK: 7:00 PM on Friday vs Fremont @ Heedum Field
