MARENGO – There’s nothing quite like a playoff win at home. Unless you break a record in the process.
Highland sophomore Dane Nauman’s 304 rushing yards Friday give him 2,412 yards for the season, breaking a Scots record and helping his team to a 41-6 victory in their Division IV regional first round game against Columbus Linden-McKinley.
“I put the number on the board this week, so he could get it this week at home,” Highland coach Ty Stover said. “Dane is such a great kid. We are proud of the whole team for getting that done. That’s a season’s worth of work.”
The drizzle that fell during the first quarter became full-fledged rain as the game wore on. But none of it fazed the Highland offense. Nauman scored on Highland’s first three drives of the game with runs of 13, 7 and 47 yards. He added a fourth touchdown late in the third quarter with a 7-yard run that became his final carry of the night.
Highland quarterback Cooper Merckling fought through the rain to complete two of eight passes for 25 yards. He completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Mason Duncan in the second quarter that gave the Scots a 27-6 halftime lead.
Nauman’s final touchdown made the score 34-6. Cody Matthews scored from four yards out early in the fourth.
Linden-McKinley (8-3) earned a playoff spot for the first time in school history this season, finishing second in Columbus City-North and placing ninth in Region 16. The Panthers won with offense, and that offense on Friday put up 276 yards. Chris Towns went 13-of-23 for 205 yards, completing an 8-yard strike to Phillip Towns for a touchdown late in the first quarter, but the Scots kept them off the scoreboad thereafter.
Highland (8-3) moves on to face Bloom-Carroll on the road in the regional quarterfinals next Friday. Bloom-Carroll (11-0), the top seed in Region 16, defeated Warren, 49-0, for its third straight shutout. Highland and Bloom-Carroll met on Week 1, with the Bulldogs getting a 49-17 victory.
But that was 11 weeks ago.
“It’s never easy when facing Bloom-Carroll,” Stover said. “We’re fortunate to have another shot at them. Our kids know we have a huge challenge facing them down there. We’ll do our best to get prepared. Let it all hang out and see what happens.”
After the game, as he stood with rain dripping off his helmet onto his soaked uniform, Nauman remained humble and reflective.
“I had a goal since my freshman year to do this, and I’ve been working hard,” Nauman said. “My linemen helped me out a lot. Without them, this would be impossible to do.”
