Members of the Columbus High football team hoist the F&C Cup after beating Fremont 28-27 in overtime on Sept. 21, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. LINCOLN — In the 105th meeting between Columbus High and Fremont football, the Discoverers reigned supreme.
The 105th showdown between the two schools was the 97th playing for the F&C Cup and the first meeting at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Discoverers would walk away with the F&C Cup after a 28-27 win in overtime. In the win, Columbus trailed Fremont 21-7 but fought back to get the victory.
"It got to the end of that third quarter and as the kids were coming off the field, we challenged them," Columbus football coach Craig Williams said. "We owned the fourth quarter, our kids relied on their conditioning." Columbus' win secured the F&C Cup for another year as the Tigers have not beaten the Discoverers since 2015.
Columbus High junior Michael Voichoskie runs through a Fremont defender on Sept. 21, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Voichoskie scored three touchdowns in the 28-27 Discoverer win.
In overtime, Columbus struck first with a 6-yard scoring run from junior Michael Voichoskie to take a 28-21 lead. "I was just thinking that our defense needs to step it up," Voichoskie said. The Tigers would get the ball second in overtime and were able to answer with a touchdown to make it 28-27.
Columbus' defense would step up as Fremont attempted to score two, but Columbus senior Connor Kallweit and junior Carter Renteria made the winning tackle. "The first thing I thought of was two years ago at Fremont when we stopped them at the one," Williams said. "I don't blame them, if there was 10 seconds left in the fourth when we scored, we were going to go for two.
"Our kids just executed and made a play right at the one again." The Discoverers were led by Voichoskie, who totaled three touchdowns and 126 yards on the ground. Voichoskie's first score of the day came midway through the third quarter after Fremont scored in the first and held a 7-0 lead into the half.
The junior Discoverer would score on a 13-yard run to tie the game. Fremont would score the next two touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead early into the fourth quarter. "To come back from being (down 21-7) on anybody in Class A football in the fourth quarter is a tremendous accomplishment," Williams said.
"All the momentum was on their side at that point." Discoverer quarterback rolls out of the pocket for a 20-yard run at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln against Fremont on Sept. 21.
The Discoverers would keep fighting and answered with a 72-yard drive ending with a 5-yard rushing score from senior quarterback Will Wickham. "Momentum wasn't there, they had a big score and that kind of shut us down a bit but I knew we were never out of it," Wickham said. "Our offense just kept scoring.
" Columbus would take over on downs on the ensuing Fremont possession and the Discoverers were able to drive the ball on another 72-yard drive At one point, Columbus was in a third and 23 at their own 27. Wickham would keep the drive alive with a 20-yard scramble. "Our offensive line really stepped up in the second half, giving us a little more time," Wickham said.
"I was just taking off to give ourselves a chance for a closer play." Columbus junior receiver Laitenn Braithwait throws a pass for a 25-yard gain in Columbus' 28-27 win over Fremont on Sept. 21 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
With a fourth and 3 from the Discoverer 47, Columbus dipped into its bag of tricks as junior receiver Laitenn Braithwait had the ball on a sweep before pulling up to complete a 25-yard pass to Quenton Gustafson. The Discoverers would cap the drive with a 1-yard dive from Voichoskie to tie the game at 21, ultimately force overtime and get the win. "Going into the fourth quarter I kept telling my guys that we need to step it up and fight through adversity," Voichoskie said.
"I'm very thankful for it, and I'm glad for all these beautiful Columbus Nation people for showing up here. I feel like I made history.” In overtime, Columbus would get redemption from its week one loss at Norfolk where the Discoverers fell 35-28 in overtime to the Panthers.
"I think it helps our psyche more than anything, to let that game slip away when we felt like we had control," Williams said. "On the opposite side, you find a way to win instead of finding a way to lose and that's something we can build on moving forward." Offensively, the Discoverers were able to tally 387 yards with 242 coming through the air and another 145 coming on the ground.
Voichoskie led the rushing attack and Wickham passed for 217 yards. Columbus senior Connor Kallweit snags the ball for a 32-yard catch against Fremont in the Discoverers' 28-27 win over the Tigers on Sept. 21, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
Columbus receiving group was led by Kallweit and senior Luke Messersmith. Kallweit had three catches for 84 yards and Messersmith had three receptions for 39 yards. "The second half, we moved the football," Williams said.
Despite the high yardage total, Columbus had multiple fumbles and some costly penalties which they eventually overcame. "We had too many things that hurt ourselves, too many penalties and we had a touchdown taken off the board," Williams said. "We fumbled the ball inside the five and we just kept going.
We kept overcoming those setbacks we put ourselves in. "We got to get those things cleaned up." Senior Discoverer Luke Messersmith runs with the ball against Fremont in Lincoln at Memorial Stadium.
The Discoverers won 28-27 against the Tigers on Sept. 21. The Discoverers improved to 2-2 with the win and they will host North Platte Friday to start the second half of the 2024 season.
"When you lose like we did in week one and then you have to play the No. 1 week in the state week two, it feels like you're underwater," Williams said. "This one makes you feel like you can come up for air.
You get energized for next week." Sent weekly directly to your inbox! Sports Editor {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
