Nemaha Central Rolls Past Hiawatha on Senior Night

Nemaha Central used a dominant rushing attack and five touchdowns from Sullivan Haverkamp to roll past Hiawatha 49-6 Friday night, spoiling the Red Hawks' senior night.

Hiawatha opened the game with some early momentum, recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff. Freshman quarterback Jett Keller connected with fellow freshman Wyatt Moore on a 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Red Hawks an early 6-0 lead.

However, it was all Nemaha Central from that point forward.

Haverkamp scored on runs of 31 and 49 yards to put the Thunder ahead 14-6. Dason Hill added a 3-yard touchdown run, and Haverkamp scored again from two yards out to give Nemaha Central a 28-6 halftime advantage.

Haverkamp added two more touchdowns in the second half, scoring from two and eight yards out. Hill capped the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Nemaha Central finished with 429 rushing yards, including 280 in the second half. Haverkamp led the scoring with five rushing touchdowns, while Hill added two.

For Hiawatha, Rowdy Berning rushed for 77 yards on 22 carries. Keller completed two passes for 32 yards and a touchdown, with Moore accounting for both receptions.

The victory improves the defending Class 2A state champion Thunder to 4-3 on the season, while Hiawatha falls to 0-7.

Next week, Nemaha Central returns home to host Atchison, while Hiawatha travels to Holton.