West Holt Falls To Perkins County In Heartbreaker

Everything looked set for West Holt to move on to the state quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Huskies led Perkins County by one point with just a few seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately, a miracle play by the Plainsmen ended the West Holt season too early.

After punting with just 16 seconds left on the clock, West Holt pinned Perkins County on their own 36 yard line. As the clock wound down, Plainsmen quarterback Charles Johnson unleashed a 54 yard strike into the waiting arms of Alex Patrick to give Perkins County an upset win, 32-27. 

The loss was particularly heart breaking because of how hard the Huskies battled back from a deficit early on in the game. Halfway through the first quarter, West Holt trailed the Plainsmen 14-0. However, Bryce Kerkman found Payton Williams for a 12 yard score. In the second quarter, Williams found the end zone again to bring the Huskies to within two. Then, just three minutes before halftime, West Holt took the lead when Kerkman went eight yards for the score.

In the third quarter, the defenses were strong with neither team finding the end zone. The fourth quarter saw Perkins County quickly take the lead before adding on to make it 26-19. West Holt then regained their final lead when Kerkman connected with Jordan Tasler for a 26 yard score, giving the Huskies a 27-26 lead, setting up the final play.