Ottman shines in Spartans’ debut
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
South Holt/Nodaway-Holt junior running back Brody Day makes South Nodaway/Jefferson defender Regan Meyer miss during Friday night’s game in Graham. The Spartans defeated the Longhorns, 41-14.
Friday night marked the first time South Holt/Nodaway-Holt junior quarterback Alan Ottman played in a regular season game since his freshman year, and he didn’t disappoint.
Ottman led the Spartans to a 41-14 victory over the South Nodaway/Jefferson Longhorns in front of a home crowd in Graham. He finished 8-of-19 through the air for 122 yards and a touchdown. Ottman also ran for two scores in the win.
“I thought Alan did a good job of managing the game tonight,” Spartans head coach Josh Petersen said. “He made some good throws and in the first half, he was getting hurried quite a bit. In the second half, our line did a better job and he made some good reads on the option. He ran that well for us tonight and he was able to spring Brody (Day) free on a long touchdown.”
It was a bit of a slow start for both squads Friday night as the only score in the first quarter came off an Ottman one-yard quarterback sneak, which was set up by Ottman’s 22-yard pass to junior tight end Carey Volner, who finished with five receptions for 93 yards.
The Spartans added another score in the second quarter to make it 14-0 on a 34-yard pitch and catch from Ottman to junior wide receiver James Chesnut.
“In the first half, jitters kind of took over,” South Holt/Nodaway-Holt head coach Josh Petersen said. “We scored 14 points, but I thought we could have done more. I think we may have underestimated them (South Nodaway) from when we played them in the scrimmage earlier this summer. They are a good team, but our guys came out in the second half and that’s when it matters.”
The Spartans offense came alive in the third quarter with Ottman tacking on his third touchdown of the game from 11 yards out to make it 21-0. Chesnut added a 51-yard touchdown run to make it 27-0 and junior running back Brody Day went 51 yards to add to the lead.
“The offense was able to get something going in the second half,” Petersen said. “Brody and Zach were running hard. Alan was able to hit a few key passes and Carey made some great catches. That’s what I like to see.”
For the Longhorns, Friday night was the debut of Dan Collins as the head coach, and leading up to the game, Collins talked about wanting to win the line of scrimmage.
“I was really counting on our line,” Collins said. “I know we have some bigger guys up front and not a whole of speed, but I thought they did a pretty good job overall keeping Ottman contained and inside the pocket. (Trey) Farnan got in there a few times and got on him. He’s able to occupy a few blockers, which allows for someone else to get to the quarterback.”
On offense, the Longhorns didn’t find the end zone until junior fullback Tristan Freemyer sprung for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Longhorns their first touchdown of the season late in the third quarter.
“He plays hard every day at practice and in the game,” Collins said. “We made a little bit of an adjustment in the backfield and put a little bit of a bigger back in there with him. We put McConkey in at fullback for him and we had Kramer as our smaller back.”
On their next possession, the Longhorns scored on a 12-yard screen pass from junior quarterback Regan Meyer to Freemyer to make it 34-14. Freemyer finished the game with 71 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.
But, the Spartans added another insurance score when Day ran it in from seven yards out.
“It was a great job of us finishing a game and getting a win,” Petersen said. “Between South Holt and Nodaway-Holt, our combined records the last couple of years haven’t been that good, so this is a good win to start us out on.”
The Longhorns fall to 0-1 on the season, but Collins said that the effort the squad gave Friday night was promising.
“I saw exactly what I wanted to see from the boys tonight,” Collins said. “They didn’t let up. They played as aggressive as I’ve seen them play, but we just didn’t execute some plays. Our pass coverage cost us some scores and we had a letdown early in the third quarter and they got a big run on us. I was happy with our run defense, but our pass defense still needs some work.
“It’s really easy to give up when it was 28-0, but they didn’t do that. I wanted to see if we could fight through a little adversity and still come out and play as best we could.”
The Longhorns travel to St. Joseph Christian Aug. 28 to take on a Lions squad that fell to the defending 8-man state champion North Andrew Cardinals Friday night, 48-12.
For the Spartans, they go to 1-0 on the season and take on the state runner-ups from last year, the Stanberry Bulldogs, next week, who defeated North-West Nodaway, 80-48, Friday night.
“We know what’s ahead of us next with Stanberry,” Petersen said. “They’re No. 2 in the state and it’s going to be a battle.”
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
South Nodaway/Jefferson quarterback Regan Meyer rolls out and escapes from South Holt/Nodaway-Holt linebacker Brody Day. The Longhorns fell to the Spartans, 41-14.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
Longhorns junior quarterback Regan Meyer gets the pass away to junior fullback Tristan Freemeyer before being tackled by Spartans junior linebacker Brody Day Friday night.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
Spartans defenders Cole Alloway and Zach Walker look to make a play on Longhorns’ ballcarrier Kole Kramer during Friday night’s game. The Spartans won, 41-14.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
South Holt/Nodaway-Holt tight end Carey Volner makes a one-handed grab over Longhorns defender Logan Harlan during Friday night’s ball game.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
Spartans junior quarterback Alan Ottman scrambles away from Longhorns defenders during Friday night’s game in Graham. The Spartans won the game, 41-14.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
South Holt/Nodaway-Holt quarterback Alan Ottman throws the ball down field in the first half of the game against the South Nodaway/Jefferson Longhorns Friday night.
