Headed To The Ship - GICC Downs Ord 23-13

Photo Credit: Josh Salmon

(Grand Island, NE) - The Grand Island Central Catholic football team is headed to the Class C2 state championship game after a 23-13 victory over Ord on Friday night. 

Ord would score on the opening drive of the game, going 80 yards, as Jordan Williams would score on a 46-yard touchdown run. Crusaders would score their first points of the night on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Grayson Sack to Conner Haney with 2:18 left in the first quarter. The Crusaders' extra point try would come up empty to trail the Chanticleers, 7-6. 

Garrett Watson would add three points on a 22-yard field goal with 7:40 left in the first half. The final score of the first half would come from Jackson Gangwish on a 2-yard touchdown run with just three seconds left as the Saders would take a 16-7 lead going into the halftime break. 

GICC would get one more final score in the game, coming with 8:05 left in the 3rd quarter as Grayson Sack would hit Graham Stava for a 53-yard touchdown pass. That then put GICC up 23-7. Ord would answer right back with a Haydin Nelson punching in a touchdown run from 11 yards out. The two-point conversion was shut down by the Crusaders, giving GICC a 23-13 lead for the final 5:03 left in the game. 

Ord ends their season with a record of 9-3. GICC heads to the state title game with a record of 11-1. This will be the first appearance for the Crusaders in a state championship game since 1983. That year, the Crusaders lost to Platteview by a final score of 6-0. 

In the other semi-final Bishop Neumann defeated Kearney Catholic by a final score of 34-0. 

The state championship game will be played at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, November 25th, at 2:45 pm. Listen live on KRGI 1430/105.5 & krgi.com. 

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