A pair of Alonzo Torrez first-quarter touchdowns propelled North Platte to a 48-10 win Friday over Lincoln High. Now, the Bulldogs (4-5) wait and hope. North Platte entered the night in a tie for 18th in wildcard points with a strong chance to move up if they could get the win.
And that they did, in convincing fashion against the Links. The top 16 teams advance to next week’s first round of the Class A playoffs. After a three-and-out on defense, the Bulldog offense gashed the Links with their signature triple option attack.
Torrez capped a long drive with a 22-yard touchdown run on a fullback dive for a 7-0 lead. After forcing another three-and-out, Torrez would again score on a 10-yard fullback power. The two teams traded turnovers midway through the first quarter before Max Negley caught a Caden Joneson pass for a 30-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs would end the first up 21-0, but the Links would respond in the second quarter with a three-yard Cole Butler touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7. Breckin Torrez scored just minutes later on a 6-yard toss to the left to give North Platte a 28-7 lead. The drive was aided by a 50-yard run by Joneson, taking a keeper up the middle, juking away from a Links safety and sprinting up the left side.
Eli Broman extended the lead to 35-7 with a 37-yard run in North Platte’s next drive. Breckin Torrez would cap the half with a 47-yard touchdown run to give North Platte a 42-7 lead. Get local news delivered to your inbox! News/Sports Editor {{.