Deadlocked at 15-15 after a half of football in which visiting Cozad returned an interception for six, racked up 192 yards on the ground and benefitted from eight Kimball penalties, Longhorns’ head coach Chauncey Pedersen took an unusual step.

“We just told them to keep doing the same thing,” he said, referring to his halftime talk. “Just cut the penalties and we’d be fine.”

The modest effort at inspiring his team worked. Kimball took control from there, winning 39-21 on homecoming and making a playoff date at Keith Staehr field something more than just a remote possibility.

With Trevan Hinton at the helm, Kimball powered downfield on their first possession in the second half, covering 71 yards on five plays. The first 46 of those came on a Jeff Greenwood off tackle breakaway. Bernie Bridge accounted for the final four yards of the drive, cruising through a large gap into the end zone.

The touchdown opened a 22-15 lead.

“We wanted to finish it,” Greenwood said, explaining the team’s emotional burst coming out of the locker room. “It was homecoming.”

But the visiting Haymakers refused to concede, riding back downfield on the shoulders of tailback Jake Paulsen, one of the state’s quickest track and field stars in the spring. On the night he blazed through 267 yards on 29 carries. He capped this particular series with a 48 yard scoring dash.

Quarterback Micah Neill, who doubles as Cozad’s placekicker, missed the point after. So midway through the period, the score remained close, 22-21.

The two teams stepped onto Keith Staehr as near equals, sporting 3-3 records and separated in the C1 rankings by a mere three positions. Cozad drew first blood, converting the game’s opening possession into three points when Neill kicked a 25 yard field goal. Back to back stops by Kimball’s Jonathan Poss and Jake Reader on the five and a third down fade broken up by Todd O’Hare kept them out of the end zone.

Kimball responded quickly—thanks to another long Greenwood run and another Bridge plunge across the goal line. They also unveiled a new weapon.

Foreign exchange student Niclas Nissl cleared NSAA eligibility earlier in the week. He nailed the extra point, adding three more on the evening, as well as a field goal.

“I was nervous before my first kick,” he admitted. “But the whole team was behind me—they believed in me.” The senior from Germany reportedly hit 97 percent of his kicks in practice, so the Longhorns had reason to trust in his right leg. And Nissl seemed to gain confidence after a perfect night.

“I think it will go on like this,” he said.

Kimball penalties and Paulsen’s open field speed put the Haymakers back on top. But a six yard Greenwood run at the end of the first quarter knotted things at 15 all.

“Greenwood ran tough all night,” Pedersen observed. With Dalton Lockwood sidelined due to injury, he turned more often to the versatile back. Greenwood readily picked up the slack, chalking up 225 yards from scrimmage, as well as an additional 89 on special teams.

The second quarter turned into a defensive showcase. Led by Reader, the Longhorns repeatedly pinned Cozad deep in their own territory, but were unable to capitalize. After halftime, however, it was almost all Kimball—though momentum didn’t come easy.

Both teams scored in the third, a Nissl conversion giving the Longhorns a one point lead. The game began to turn when Kimball went on offense with 6:39 remaining in the quarter.

Hinton reverted to Kimball’s familiar, plodding, clock control scheme, handing to O’Hare around the right, Greenwood over the left side and Bridge into the middle. But the drive stalled on Cozad’s 28, when Haymakers defensive end James Brown dropped Colton Stull for a four yard loss.

Staring at fourth and long, with the ball placed outside of Nissl’s range, Hinton turned to the air.

The junior quarterback had completed only one of four at this point. He had also been sacked, flushed from the pocket and thrown a costly pick six. But this time he spotted Brent Bussinger breaking into the open. Without hesitation, Hinton fired a bullseye, hitting Bussinger in stride. Only a saving tackle by Ty Werner kept Kimball’s receiver from scoring.

At this point Cozad’s defense stiffened. But the Longhorns called on Nissl, who split the uprights from 21 yards out, stretching the lead to 25-21 as the fourth quarter got underway.

Although the drive netted only three points, it had knocked over seven minutes off the clock.

The visitors never mounted another threat. Reader and Andrew Barrett shut down Paulsen and company on Cozad’s first possession of the fourth. The Longhorns took advantage when Greenwood scored from one yard out at the end of a short, though also time consuming, series. The Haymakers next attempt ended when Daniel Valdez drifted in between a Neill pass and its intended receiver.

“Coach [Gene] Mohr told me to read the quarterback’s eyes, so that’s what I did,” Valdez reported. “They led me straight to the pick.”

His interception also led to a Bernie Bridge touchdown, closing out the scoring at 39-21 with 1:11 left in the game. But there was one more moment for the Longhorns—and Greenwood—on homecoming.

With time running out, the Haymakers gave Paulsen one more shot. He burst around left tackle to midfield, where he was met—hard—by Kimball pursuit and fumbled.

Greenwood ended up with the ball cradled in his arms and headed in the other direction, only to be collared from behind as he crossed the 20.

“I just saw the ball, scooped it up and ran,” he said with a laugh. “I guess I’m just not fast enough.”

The Longhorns finish out regular season play at home on Thursday against Chadron. Kickoff has been moved up to 6 p.m., and that suits Pedersen just fine.

“We have a short week and have to be prepared,” the coach said. “But we’re playing really well right now.”