It was a season of successes, not failures, for the Westside football team. And the state championship game was no different, although the Warriors were beaten by Calvin Strong-led Omaha North.

On a frigid night at Memorial Stadium, with the wind chill in the single digits, the Warriors and Vikings played toe-to-toe all night, with both defenses coming up with huge stops at the right time and each offense finding ways to drive the ball down the field.

The Warriors opened scoring when senior Christian Hagan completed a 38-yard pass to senior Luke Biggs, putting the Warriors up 7-0 with 8:40 remaining in the first quarter.

The Vikings responded when Omaha North senior Calvin Strong ran down the left side of the field and found a hole, going 68 yards for the score, tying the game 7-7.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the first quarter.

Omaha North took the lead on a 27-yard field goal before the Warriors scored another touchdown, when senior Drew Fitzmorris carried the ball two yards for a score to cap off a 58-yard drive.

On Omaha North’s ensuing drive, it appeared as though the Vikings would score again, as they drove to the Westside 30 with four minutes remaining in the first half. Then, the Warrior defense forced a fumble, which senior Kenny McDowell returned to the Omaha North 25.

Shortly after, the Viking defense made an excellent play of its own. With the Warriors deep in the red zone, an Omaha North defender stepped in front of a receiver to intercept Hagan at the goal line, halting the Warrior drive and sending the game into halftime with the Warriors leading 14-10.

Omaha North’s offense opened up second half scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter, giving them a 17-14 lead.

After the Warriors next drive came to a halt, the Warriors punted the ball to the Omaha North 20. Shortly after, senior Jamaal Conway-Smith made a diving catch to intercept the Omaha North pass, giving the Warriors the ball at the Viking 31.

Three plays later, it appeared as though the Warriors would not capitalize on the interception, as Hagan’s pass fell incomplete on third down. But, the Warriors elected to go for the first down on fourth and seven. Conway-Smith found a gap in the North defense, Hagan delivered a bullet and Conway-Smith hauled in the catch and carried the ball 28 yards for a touchdown, putting the Warriors up 21-17 with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Omaha North used a 52-yard reception on third and six to get them to the Westside 16-yard line. After the Warriors stopped the Vikings making it fourth and two from the eight-yard line, Omaha North elected to go for it on fourth down, and succeeded. Two plays later, the Vikings scored on a one-yard run. The Warriors blocked the extra point, putting the score at 23-21 with North in command with 7:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Warrior offense got a first down on their ensuing drive before the Viking defense forced the Warriors to punt from their own 44 with 4:30 remaining in the game.

Westside’s defense came up with another crucial stop, stuffing Strong on third and five. Omaha North punted from its own 30-yard line with two minutes remaining. The Viking defense, though, found a way to keep the Warriors from getting a first down, making the Warriors turn the ball over on downs with 1:13 remaining in the game.

Omaha North failed to drain the clock on the next drive or get a first down, forcing them to punt the ball to the Warriors with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

The Warriors got two plays to try to win the game, both resulting in incomplete passes.

“Well, looking back, when they say it’s a game of inches, it really is,” said Westside head coach Brett Froendt. “They got some third down conversions by just a few inches or a foot three times — and credit to them… Outside of about three plays in the game, we played very, very well.”

The Vikings, now 12-1, took the championship by the final score 23-21, giving the team the first football state championship in school history.

The Warriors finish the season 11-2 as Class A state runner-ups.

At the end of the game, the student section chanted “Thank you seniors,” giving deserved recognition to the seniors who have led the team to the state championship this year.

The Westside Wired staff wants to thank the coaches and players for taking time to give us quotes and help us with stats throughout the season. 

In specific, the Wired staff wants to thank coaches Froendt, McKeever and Secora for the time they spent helping us cover the season. Congratulations on leading us to one of the best seasons in Westside history.