Jeff West Opens District Play with Second Half Push Past Nemaha Central

Jefferson West opened district play Friday night with a 20-7 victory over Nemaha Central, using a strong second-half performance that featured a rushing and passing touchdown from Brixton Schwinn and an 83-yard kickoff return for a score by Jakob Devlin.

The game was scoreless at halftime, with the two teams combining for seven punts and four turnovers on downs in a defensive battle.

The Tigers broke through on the opening play of the second half when Devlin returned the kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, giving Jefferson West its first lead of the night.

After a defensive stop, Nemaha Central answered with its lone touchdown of the game. Kendall Bergman capped a 67-yard drive with an eight-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

Jefferson West responded immediately with its best drive of the night, marching 79 yards in less than three minutes. Schwinn finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers back in front, 14-7.

The Tigers put the game away midway through the fourth quarter, capping a 65-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Schwinn to Corbin Mayer.

Unofficially, Schwinn threw for 150 of his 216 yards in the second half. Mayer was his favorite target, finishing with seven receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Nemaha Central quarterback Cole Ranieri led the Thunder on the ground with 99 rushing yards. He also completed 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards and threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter.

The victory marked Jefferson West’s first win over Nemaha Central since 2013 and snapped a six-game losing streak in the series.

Jefferson West improves to 3-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big East, and 1-0 in district play. The Tigers will travel to Holton in Week 5.

Nemaha Central falls to 1-3 overall, 1-3 in the Big East, and 0-1 in district play. The Thunder will return home to host St. Marys in their next matchup.