Hastings College Football Ends Season With Loss at Doane
(Crete, NE) – The Hastings football team took on Doane in the 125th meeting between the two teams on Saturday afternoon. The Broncos took a 22-14 halftime lead, but Doane outscored Hastings, 21-3, in the second half of the 35-25 loss.
Hastings punted on their first possession and the Tigers scored on their second play of the drive on a 30-yard touchdown pass. A 25-yard completion from senior quarterback Jarrett Synek to junior Josh Levine helped set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Synek to senior Kaiden Merryman later in the drive. The extra point was blocked to keep Doane in front, 7-6. Junior linebacker Dawson Kissinger picked off Doane a couple plays later and they took a 9-7 lead heading to the second quarter on a 28-yard field goal by freshman kicker Emmitt Dirks.
Doane was held to a three-and-out to start the second quarter and the Broncos went 51 yards on five plays, ending on a 14-yard touchdown run by Synek to take a 16-7 lead. Doane answered back with a touchdown of their own, completing a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 16-14.
A 40-yard run by Merryman to start the next Bronco possession led to a 28-yard Dirks field goal, then after forcing a Doane punt, passes to Levine and junior Cole Thorne put Dirks in position to make a 36-yard field goal at the end of the first half, as they led 22-14. In the first half, Synek was 12-21 for 132 yards and Merryman had 14 carries for 103 yards.
Doane used 10 minutes and went 93 yards to score a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half, ending on a 15-yard touchdown reception and successful two-point conversion. Merryman rushed for 17 yards on the first two carries of the next Bronco drive, but a penalty and three straight incompletions led to a punt and a tie game at 22 going to the fourth.
The Tigers got down to the Hastings 31-yard line, but on third-and-two, junior Justyce Hostetler made a huge play with a tackle-for-loss of six yards, holding Doane to a 48-yard field goal, as the Tigers took a 25-22 lead with 13:57 remaining. Runs by Merryman and freshman running back Blaise Baughman took the Broncos down to the red zone, but Doane's defense held them to a 25-yard field goal from Dirks, tying the game at 25 with 7:25 to go.
Hastings forced Doane to punt on their next possession, but the Broncos threw an interception on the first play of the drive and Doane returned it to the Hastings six-yard line. Two plays later, Doane went up 32-25 on a five-yard touchdown pass with 3:52 to go.
Synek began the next drive with a 20-yard run, but negative plays on three of the next four plays gave it back to Doane, who went up 35-25 with a 39-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining. Sophomore quarterback Tucker Synek and junior wide receiver Cooper Butler connected on a 27-yard reception early on the next drive and managed to get into the red zone, however a Doane interception at the 10-yard line sealed the Doane victory.
Hastings outgained the Tigers, 405-283, in total offense, including 223-136 in rushing yards. Synek was 14-28 for 148 yards and a touchdown, along with nine carries for 41 yards. Merryman had 22 carries for 142 yards and three catches for 20 yards and a touchdown. Butler had four catches for 56 yards. Sophomore defensive back JaKeveon Bolding led the team defensively with nine tackles and junior defensive lineman David Lopez added eight tackles. Dirks made all four field goals and an extra point.
Hastings ends their season with a 4-6 record and will now make preparations for next season.