By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Sometimes, it’s just not your day.
Unfortunately for the Southeast of Saline football team, this was one of those days, as two Thunder kick return touchdowns and three lost Trojan fumbles led to the first and only loss of the SES season, 35-6 in the 2A state title game.
Nemaha Central returns to the top step in Class 2A, winning their third state title in the last four seasons, and their fourth in the last seven.
Southeast of Saline concludes their campaign at 12-1, and as state runners-up in Class 2A.
The Thunder came out swinging, as Caleb Strathman returned the opening kick 85 yards to the house to put Nemaha on top early.
A quick three-and-out led to a Trojan punt, and it was Strathman again, this time from 75 yards away, who found the end zone on a return to make it 14-0 Thunder.
Both defenses buckled down for the remainder of the first quarter, and to open the second, Tiernan Ptacek hit Malachi Hopkins from five yards away to get the Trojans on the board and make this a one-possession game.
Unfortunately for Southeast, that would be their lone score of the game, as things came unglued just before the halftime break.
A promising Trojan drive late in the half fell apart when Southeast fumbled, and Kamden Schmitz recovered for Nemaha Central.
The Thunder wasted no time ending a drought of four empty possessions, as Carter Hajek housed his first touchdown of the day to extend the lead to 21-6 at the break.
On their first drive of the third, Southeast again found themselves marching into Thunder territory, but another fumble returned the ball to Nemaha, and Hajek engineered his second touchdown drive of the game, capping it off with a powerful four-yard score on the ground.
The Trojans desperately needed a break to go their way, but instead, muffed the ensuing kickoff, setting up another Thunder touchdown run to put the game further out of reach.
A turnover on downs at the two-yard line officially put the game on ice as Nemaha ran out the clock to secure another 2A state title.
While this loss will sting for some time, the Trojans can, and should, still hold their heads high, not only for the success of this season, but for sustaining the excellence of a program that has cemented itself as one of the best in the state.
This group of Southeast seniors finishes their fourth season in purple and white with a combined record of 46-3, 14 playoff victories, two state title appearances, and a 2024 2A state championship.