Raiders saved by blocked extra point, Dalinghaus' two TDs

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 1, 2005 by Ric Anderson Capital-Journal

Area game of the week

ANTHONY S. BUSH/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Nemaha Valley's Brad Dalinghaus carries the ball upfield for a first down against Royal Valley's Mark Loader on Friday at Royal Valley.

By Ric Anderson

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

HOYT --- Even though he ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns, picked off two passes and caught two more, Brad Dalinghaus didn't do it all for Nemaha Valley on Friday.

For instance, it wasn't Dalinghaus who burst through the Royal Valley line to block an extra point in overtime and help lead the Raiders to a 26-20, double-OT victory. The blocker was senior co- captain Kerry Williams, who came off the bench to make the play after suffering a groin injury in the first half.

Dalinghaus also didn't score the game-winning touchdown. That honor belonged to junior quarterback Justin Burdiek, who plunged in from the 1 after Dalinghaus set up the dramatic finish by making an interception to end the Panthers' final scoring try and then taking a screen pass from Burdiek inside the 1 yard line.

"That was rough," Dalinghaus said. "I'm tired. They were playing hard because it was their homecoming, and we were playing just as hard."

For Nemaha Valley coach Todd Leonard, the outcome underscored a point he has been making to the Raiders since the days of three- digit temperatures.

"That's why we condition so much," he said. "We don't do anything fancy. We grind it out and keep it close at the end, where our conditioning will hopefully help us win."

Nemaha Valley (4-1) came within an arm's length of losing when, after missing an extra point kick on the opening possession of overtime, the Raiders yielded a 5-yard TD pass from Jesse Kutina to Willy Lucero. Enter Williams, who blew through the Royal Valley line and stuffed Michael Campbell's PAT try.

"Our kids played hard, but our nemesis has been shooting ourself with mistakes at critical times," said Royal Valley coach Tom Barta, whose team fell to 2-3. "That was a missed (blocking) assignment, and it turned out to be crucial."

After a scoreless first quarter, the Raiders took the lead when Dalinghaus shed a fistful of Panther tacklers for a 15-yard TD run 7:17 before halftime.

Royal Valley had been held to no first downs and 22 total yards in the first quarter, but the Panthers came alive after Dalinghaus' TD and got on the board when sophomore Nolan Pahmahmie caught a 14- yard fourth-down pass from Kutina and wrestled it away from a Raider defender in the end zone.

The Raiders opened the second half by incurring a pair of penalties that moved them to their own 14, but Dalinghaus broke off a 74-yard touchdown run to pad the lead. Royal Valley answered with a 65-yard scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard plunge by Kutina.

In the first OT, Burdiek hit senior James Stallbaumer from 8 yards out before Kutina answered with his TD pass to Lucero.

Justen Dreasher paced the Panthers with 145 yards rushing and one interception.

Nemaha Valley 0 7 7 0 12 --- 26Royal Valley 0 6 8 0 6 --- 20 NV --- Dalinghaus 15 run (Helm kick)

RV --- Pahmahmie 14 pass from Kutina (kick failed)

NV --- Dalinghaus 74 run (Helm kick)

RV --- Kutina 1 run (Pahmahmie pass from Kutina)

NV --- Stallbaumer 8 pass from Burdiek (kick failed)

RV --- Lucero 5 pass from Kutina (kick failed)

NV --- Burdiek 1 run

GAME IN FIGURES

NV RVFirst downs 12 12Rushes-yards 46-208 48-231Passing 120 31Comp-Att-Int 8-15-1 4- 11-2Punts 2-51.5 5-32.0Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-0Penalties-yards 7-50 3- 20INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING --- NV: Dalinghaus 30-181, Showman 3-1, Vondemkamp 1-1, Burdiek 6-17, Ranieri 2-3, Hunninghake 4-5. RV: Dreasher 27-145, Kutina 11-63, Area 4-13, Rupnick 3-12, Lucero 3-(minus 2).

PASSING --- NV: Burdiek 8-15-1, 120 yards. RV: Kutina 4-9-1, 31 yards; Dreasher 0-2-1, 0 yards.

RECEIVING --- NV: Showman 2-22, Stallbaumer 4-56, Dalinghaus 2- 42. RV: Dreasher 1-2, Pahmahmie 2-24, Lucero 1-5.

PUNTING --- NV: Stallbaumer 2-51.5. RV: Johnson 4-30.0; Campbell 1-40.0.