Osborne Splashes to Regional Title With Rout of Lebo
OSBORNE-Dawson Lantz scored four total touchdowns as the Osborne Bulldogs jumped out to a 24-0 first quarter lead and cruised to a 44-8 victory over Lebo in the 8-Man Division ll Regional Playoffs on a rainy Friday night at Liberty Field.
Osborne won the opening coin toss but elected to defer till the second half, allowing Lebo to have the first possession. After a three and out, the Wolves punted from their one-yard line and Lantz blocked the attempt by Ashton Lattimer and walked into the end zone and the two-point conversion lifted Osborne to an 8-0 advantage.
Lebo's punting struggles continued on their next drive as Lattimer was tackled at the Wolves' 18-yard line and four plays later, Lantz found the end zone again from five yards out and with 7:10 left in the first quarter, Osborne led 16-0 after the two-point conversion. Lantz capped off another short Bulldog scoring drive in the final minute of the opening quarter with another five-yard jaunt and the Osborne lead was 24-0 after the first 12 minutes. The lead remained 24-0 at halftime after neither team scored in the second period.
Lantz had a little longer to go in the first two minutes of the third quarter when he rumbled down the muddy field for a 69-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed this time and Osborne's lead was 30-0 after three quarters.
With 10:23 left in the fourth quarter, Hunter Howell broke two tackles on his way to a 26-yard touchdown scamper but the two-point try failed again, leaving the score at 36-0. Kaiden Schultze completed the Bulldog scoring fest with 5:32 left to play when he broke free to the end zone from 22 yards out and the two-point conversion increased the Osborne advantage to 44-0.
Lebo avoided the shutout when senior Quarterback Drew Konrade scored on a 12-yard touchdown run and the successful two-point conversion provided the final margin of 44-8.
Lantz led the way for Osborne (7-3) with 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground while Schultze rushed for 68 yards and a score to lead a ground attack that accounted for 249 of the Bulldogs' 260 total yards on offense.
Lebo (7-3) whose head coach is Brian Hadley, a 1996 Osborne High School graduate was led by Konrade's 110 rushing yards. With the game played in a driving rain at times, the two teams combined for just 32 passing yards.
Osborne wins its third straight Regional title and for the third consecutive year will face the three-time defending state champion Axtell Eagles in the Sectional round also known as the State Quarterfinals on Friday, November 15 in Osborne. Axtell won its 49th straight game Friday, rolling past Rural Vista 54-0.