The Ord Chanticleers defended their home turf Friday night with a gritty 21–14 win over the Grand Island Central Catholic Crusaders, improving their record with a strong district performance.
After a slow first quarter, GICC struck first on an 11-yard touchdown run early in the second, but Ord’s offense responded in a big way. Quarterback Jordan Williams found the end zone twice before halftime—first on a 6-yard run, then again from 12 yards out—to give the Chanticleers a 14–7 lead heading into the break.
Williams added a third rushing touchdown in the third quarter, powering across from two yards out to extend Ord’s lead to 21–7. GICC made things interesting with a 31-yard scoring run in the fourth, but the Chanticleers’ defense slammed the door shut to secure the victory.
Williams carried the ball 35 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 34 yards through the air. Beau Wells added 52 yards on the ground and 26 receiving, and Grey Geiser chipped in 40 rushing yards. In total, the Chanticleers piled up 346 yards of offense, including 312 rushing yards behind a physical offensive line.
On defense, Colt Meyer, Grey Geiser, Colton Thompson, Haydin Nelson, and Levi Klein led a tough unit that held the Crusaders to just 74 passing yards and 183 on the ground. Meyer also booted through all three extra points and averaged 54 yards per kickoff.
Head Coach Nate Wells praised his team’s toughness afterward. “That was a battle all the way through,” he said. “We had to earn every yard, and our guys never backed down. We played tough, and that's the kind of football we want to be playing in October.”
With the win, Ord moves to 3–3 on the season. The Chanticleers will look to build on their momentum next Friday when they hit the road to face [next opponent].
Game Leaders
Ord Chanticleers
Passing: J. Williams - 3/7, 42 Yds 2 Int
Rushing: J. Williams - 35 Att, 201 Yds, 2 TD, B. Wells - 12 Att, 52 Yds 1 Td, G. Geiser - 10 Att, 40 Yds, H. Nelson - 5 Att, 19 Yds,
Receiving: B. Wells - 2 Rec, 26 Yds, G. Geiser - 1 Rec, 8 Yds
Tackling: G. Geiser - 8 Tkls, C. Meyer - 8 Tkls, 1 Sck, 2 Tfls, C. Thompson - 6 Tkls, H. Nelson - 5 Tkls, 1 Tfl, L. Klein - 5 Tkls
Takeaways: None
Kicking: C. Meyer - 3/3 Pats