ELGIN — For first year co-coaches Nick Heithoff and Matt Euse, the football season ended too soon.
The Wolfpack split their first eight games, then fell to Archangels Catholic in the first round of the Class D2 State Football Playoffs.
The team ended the season with a 4-5 record. They started out the season with a heart-breaking loss at Burwell, then won their next three games (Walthill, CWC and North Central). Creighton and O’Neill St. Mary’s handed the team back-to-back losses before the Wolfpack rebounded with a thrilling victory over Neligh-Oakdale. EPPJ dropped their last regular season game to Ainsworth before going into the playoffs as the 16th seed in the East Division.
Junior Grady Drueke had a big year toting the pigskin. He averaged just over 112 yards rushing per game, finishing with 1,011 yards on 183 carries. That’s an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Kellan Hoefer tossed six touchdown passes during the season. He completed 41 of 93 pass attempts for 588 yards.
His top receiver was freshman Max Henn. He finished with 13 catches for 234 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 18 yards per reception. Drueke had 11 catches and senior Dylan Kolm had 10.
On defense, Taylor Beckman led the team in tackles with 88, Kolm was close behind with 83 tackles. Beckman also led in tackles for losses with nine.
Drueke had two of the team’s four interceptions during the season. Hoefer led the team with three fumble recoveries, Drueke and Henn each had two.
Team statistics
As a team, EPPJ averaged 73 yards passing and 228 yards rushing per game. The team finished the season with 657 passing yards and 2,055 yards rushing. The Wolfpack turned the ball over 10 times during the nine-game schedule (five fumbles/five interceptions).
Here are the final statistics courtesy of MaxPreps.
Offense
Passing (Att/Comp/Int – Yds) — Karson Kallhoff 1/4/3 – 29, Michael Selting 3/4/0 – 40, Grady Drueke 0/1/1 – 0, Kellan Hoefer 41/93/1 – 588. Team totals: 45/102/5 – 657.
Rushing (Car/Yds) — Gavin Kallhoff 28/139, Dylan Kolm 54/402, K. Kallhoff 12/42, Taylor Beckman 38/256, Kaeden Schwarting 3/9, Joseph McNally 2/3, Selting 1/0, Drueke 183/1011, Hoefer 44/193. Team totals: 365/2055.
Receiving (Rec/Yds) — Kolm 10/145, K. Kallhoff 5/105, Beckman 1/14, Schwarting 1/7, Landyn Veik 3/55, Drueke 11/70, Max Henn 13/234, Landon Kallhoff 1/27. Team totals: 45/657.
Defense
Tackles (Solo/Asst) — G. Kallhoff 19/16, Kolm 31/52, Aidan Klein 0/2, K. Kallhoff 5/5, Christian Preister 0/2, Beckman 39/49, Trey Rittscher 15/32, Austin Hinkle 2/13, Jarek Erickson 22/46, Schwarting 11/10, Veik 27/31, Brayden Burenheide 1/1, McNally 1/7, Selting 2/5, Drueke 30/26, Henn 12/26, Justice Blecher 5/17, L. Kallhoff 3/3, Hoefer 15/6. Team totals: 240/349
Tackles for Loss — Kolm 6.5, Beckman 9, Rittscher 4.5, Erickson 6, Henn 4. Team totals: 36.
Quarterback sacks — G. Kallhoff 1, Beckman 1, Rittscher 1, Erickson 2.5, Henn 2.5.
Interceptions (#/Yds) — Erickson 1/42, Veik 1/3, Drueke 2/0. Team totals: 4/45.
Fumble recoveries — Kolm 1, Beckman 1, Drueke 2, Henn 2, Hoefer 3. Team totals: 9.
Pass deflections — Kolm 1, K. Kallhoff 2, Erickson 3, Selting 1, Drueke 1, Henn 2, L. Kallhoff 1, Hoefer 6.
