FOOTBALL:  Hastings’ Offense Hits On All Cylinders In Second Half To Beat North Star

LINCOLN–(KLMS Aug. 21)–Class B Hastings Tigers rolled into Lincoln Friday night to open up the football season with Lincoln North Star and for the first two-and 3/4 quarters, it was a defensive struggle.

A 13-yard touchdown pass to Braden Kalvelage late in the third quarter followed up by three more in the fourth quarter led the Tigers to a 35-8 win over the Navigators in a game heard on ESPN Lincoln FM101.5/1480am and at espnlincoln.com.

Kalvelage’s first touchdown came with 5:51 left in the first quarter, when quarterback Jarrett Synek found him on a 67-yard bomb that was followed by a two-point conversion to Carson Shoemaker.  Preceding that was North Star’s tight end Jace Elliott with a 47-yard touchdown catch off a pass from quarterback DJ McGarvie, which was followed by Kade Seip’s two-point conversion.

Penalties mounted for the Navigators, recording 14 in the game, which hurt them on sustaining drives on offense.  North Star did have a key goal-line stop in the third quarter, when Synek tried to score on a fourth-down play.  The Gators failed to capitalize on offense and was forced to punt, which later set up Kalvelage’s second touchdown reception.

In the fourth quarter, Synek found receiver Austin Nauert on an 84-yard touchdown pass, then connected with Gareth Jones on a six-yard toss for a score and Nauert sealed the game for Hastings when he picked a North Star pass and returned it 98-yards for a touchdown.

Synek was 8-of-24 passing for 261 yards and four touchdowns.