Gothenburg shuts out Scotus in 1st round of C2 playoffs
Gothenburg's Axtyn Jesseph (36) catches a pass from Dillon Floyd for a touchdown in the Swedes' win over Scotus Central Catholic in a Class C-2 playoff game on Friday in Gothenburg.
Gothenburg's Dillon Floyd (14) looks to throw in the first half of the Swedes' win over Scotus Central Catholic in a Class C-2 playoff game on Friday in Gothenburg.
Gothenburg's Maddox Gilligan (22) breaks a tackle before scoring a touchdown in the first half of the Swedes' win over Scotus Central Catholic in a Class C-2 playoff game on Friday in Gothenburg.
The Swede defense led by AJ Holsten (76) makes a stop against the run by Shamrock Brody Lindhorst (28) in Gothenburg's Class C-2 playoff win on Friday in Gothenburg.
Gothenburg's Axtyn Jesseph (36) and Maddox Gilligan (22) celebrate Gilligan's touchdown in the Swedes' Class C-2 playoff win over Scotus Central Catholic on Friday in Gothenburg.
Gothenburg's Callen Johnson (10) finds a hole in the Shamrock defense for a gain in the Swedes' win over Scotus Central Catholic in a Class C-2 playoff game on Friday in Gothenburg.
GOTHENBURG — No. 7 Gothenburg won its first-round matchup of the Class C2 football playoffs 20-0 over No. 10 Scotus Central Catholic on Friday in Gothenburg.
The Swedes face undefeated No. 2 Bergan Catholic in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at Midland University's Heedum Field in Fremont.
"It's exciting, I mean, this community is such a supportive community for everything we've done," Gothenburg coach Riley Freeland said. "The crowd was absolutely packed tonight. It's just rewarding ... We talked about it as a team, this community deserves our best.
"So we want to come out every Friday night and give them our best."
Gothenburg took a two possession lead in the first quarter, with Axtyn Jesseph reeling in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Dillon Floyd. Callen Johnson finished the Swede drive with the point-after kick.
Gothenburg took the ball 50 yards in three minutes to score late in the first quarter. Maddox Gilligan scored his first of two touchdowns, capping the drive with a 10-yard touchdown. Johnson's point-after kick gave the Swedes the 14-0 lead.
Scotus Central Catholic's offense couldn't made headway against the smothering Swede defense, but the Shamrocks' defense wrecked havoc in the second quarter.
Gothenburg's first drive of the second quarter ended sourly, after Shamrock defender Michael Brandt intercepted a Floyd pass.
The Swedes' final drive of the half ended in a turnover, where a short pass from Floyd was intercepted by Calan Windedahl.
The Shamrocks recovered the ball on the second half kickoff, but their drive ended in a turnover on downs, giving Gothenburg the ball on their own 41-yard line.
Gothenburg's offense stayed on the ground in the second half after the two interceptions. Their first drive of the half resulted in a punt, where Johnson pinned the Shamrocks on their 7-yard line.
"I think it was just a reaction to their adjustments. Once we read what their adjustment was, the read was to run the ball," Freeland said, of their change from passing to running in the second half.
Gilligan's second touchdown came on a 37-yard run in the Swedes' second drive of the third quarter. Johnson's point-after kick hit the goal post and bounced right, giving the Swedes a 20-0 lead.
The Shamrocks attempted a fourth-and-four, but the pass fell incomplete. The Shamrock defense followed, forcing the Swedes to punt on fourth-and-14. A penalty for roughing the kicker put the ball back into the Swedes' hands.
Gothenburg looked to use their new downs to score, but Windedahl reached out to intercept Floyd's pass. Gothenburg's defense took the field and forced the Shamrocks in to fourth-and-six.
The Shamrocks last drive ended in a turnover, where Jesseph intercepted a long pass. Gothenburg lined up, got one play off before taking victory formation.
"It was just unfortunate that in the second half it kind of felt like we'd move the ball and then all of a sudden we'd get one penalty and reset us into a third-and-long," Freeland said. "That's definitely something we need to clean up this next week if we're going to be competitive in the second round."
Gilligan and Johnson had nine carries each for a combined 125 rushing yards.
"They've been a one-two punch since they were in Peewee football, so they know the game," Freeland said. "They rotate themselves. We don't have a coach in charge of their rotation because they do a great job of understanding when they need a break and trust the other guy to do just as efficiently as the one who's in."
SWEDE STATS
Passing: Floyd had 12 completions on 18 attempts for 118 yards, one passing touchdown and three interceptions.
Rushing: Johnson had nine carries for 51 yards; Floyd had four carries for 37 yards; Gilligan had nine carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
Receiving: Jesseph had seven receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown; Floyd had five receptions for 47 yards.
SHAMROCK STATS
Passing: Lindhorst had six completions on 19 attempts for 28 yards and one interception.
Rushing: Parker Newman had 10 carries for 35 yards; Lindhorst had 11 carries for 38 yards; Bode Roberts had 10 carries for 49 yards.
Receiving: Kade Sliva had three receptions for 12 yards; Brady Mach had one reception for 10 yards.
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