Unlike the usual 6-man game played across Nebraska, the 2023 NSAA D6 State Title game was a low scoring, defensive barnburner. Sumner-Eddyville-Miller relied on the second Ryan Arbuthnot blocked kick of the night to win their first state championship in school history over Hay Springs, 21-20.
The championship capped off the Mustangs perfect 12-0 season.
The first half was a defensive slugfest, with the first quarter ending scoreless. Neither team was able to break into the scoring until midway through the second quarter, when Clark Padrnos found Cohen Rohde for a 42 yard touchdown pass with 4:35 to go in the half.
While the first half was a defensive battle, the third quarter came off to a hot start. Hay Springs only needed 2 plays to score, with a Gage Mintken run from 50 yards out. Arbuthnot would find himself behind the line to block the kick and keep the lead with SEM. Ten seconds later, Maddox Jones would take a run out from 50 yards to add to the Mustangs lead, and then Hay Springs would tie the championship game, with Mintken capping off a 6 play, 55-yard run for a touchdown.
The scoring explosion quickly ended, with both teams turning the ball over on downs to end the third quarter. SEM added the scoring midway through the fourth with another Jones touchdown, and the extra point pass from Padrnos to Jones successful.
Hay Springs would then go on to engineer an 8 play, 54 yard drive that would end in a 21 yard score from Mintken on a pivotal 4th down. With a one point deficit, Hay Springs elected to go for the game winning extra points kick, even though Arbuthnot blocked one earlier. Arbuthnot found his way to break through the Hawks line to stuff the kick, making way for the Mustangs to take home their first football state championship in school history.
The win capped a successful fall for the Mustangs, who added their second championship trophy to the hallowed halls of SEM this fall. Earlier this month, the volleyball team won the D1 State Volleyball Championship, against fellow Fort Kearny Conference opponent Amherst.
This championship (Sumner-Eddyville-Miller 21, Hay Springs 20, 41 points) will go in the record books as being the second-lowest scoring championship game in NSAA Championship history. The final Hay Springs touchdown kept the 1992 championship game (Cedar Rapids 32, Lewellen 6, 38 points) as the lowest scoring matchup, but took the place of the 1990 championship (Lawrence 27, Spalding Academy 15, 42 points) as the second lowest.
CentralNebraskaToday.com’s Alex Hammeke with SEM’s Shane Hrasky postgame after the 21-20 victory……
SUMNER-EDDYVILLE-MILLER (12-0)…0…8…6…..7…21
Hay Springs (8-4)…………………………………0…0…14…6…20