BLAIR, Neb. — Ryan Randall wasn't going to let a couple of first-half fumbles ruin his night.

The Blair junior running back overcame those two miscues by running for 281 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries to lead No. 6 Blair past No. 8 Omaha Gross 38-28 Friday night in the opening round of the Class B playoffs.

In earning their first playoff victory in 14 years, the Bears (9-1) secured a quarterfinal matchup at No. 4 Waverly (9-1) next Friday night.

Randall, the state's leading rusher, turned the ball over on consecutive plays in the second quarter, and Gross (7-3) capitalized on both.

Ben Coenen recovered the first fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 14. On the Bears' next play from scrimmage, Tom Jurgensen stripped the ball from Randall and returned it to the Blair 17-yard line. Aaron Lier scored three plays later on a 7-yard run, and Gross took a 21-14 lead at the half.

“I was pretty mad at myself for those fumbles,” Randall said. “I just had to come out and run hard in the second half.”

But before he could do that, Blair's defense had to make a play that both coaches agreed changed momentum in the game.

Gross took the second-half kickoff and moved inside the Blair 20, but Chris Long recovered a fumble at the 16 to halt the threat.

“We told our kids at halftime this would be the biggest drive of our season,” Gross coach Tim Johnk said. “If we go up two scores, it puts some pressure on them and maybe changes their game plan.”

After the fumble, Blair's game plan was simple — get the ball to Randall. On the ensuing 84-yard drive, Randall was responsible for all but 5 yards. His tackle-breaking, highlight-reel 24-yard touchdown run tied the game at 21 with 4:55 left in the quarter.

“That was a big fumble for us to recover,” Blair coach Darren Harsin said. “I was proud of Ryan for his ability to bounce back from those two fumbles. He never hung his head or went into a shell. It's what he's done for us all season.”

After forcing a punt, Blair moved inside the Cougar 10 before having to settle for a Sean Wade 25-yard field goal and a 24-21 lead with 9:09 left.

Blair got a short field on its next possession when a Cougar fake punt failed, giving Blair the ball at the Gross 24. Randall scored his fourth touchdown six plays later on a 1-yard burst for a 31-21 Blair lead with 2:59 left.

Jake Schany scored Blair's final touchdown on a 10-yard run before Jurgensen returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a score.

Gross took a 7-0 lead on Lier's 35-yard run in the first quarter before scoring runs of 7 and 50 by Randall gave the Bears a 14-7 advantage.

Randall now has more than 2,300 yards this season after his career high in carries.

“I knew it was going to be the kind of game where I'd get a lot of carries,” Randall said. “I've had some games with long runs, but in games like this, sometimes you just have to grind it out.”

Gross................7 14 0 7—28

At Blair...............7 7 7 17 – 38

G: Aaron Lier 35 run (Russell Barrios kick)

B: Ryan Randall 7 run (Sean Wade kick)

B: Randall 50 run (Wade kick)

G: Ben Coenen recovered fumble in end zone (Barrios kick)

G: Lier 7 run (Barrios kick)

B: Randall 24 run (Wade kick)

B: FG Wade 25 l

B: Randall 1 run (Wade kick)

B: Jake Schany 10 run (Wade kick)

G: Tom Jurgensen 85 kickoff return (Barrios kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Gross: Coenen 22-111; Lier 4-48; Luke Cunningham 3-37; Coltin Mueller 3-13. Blair: Randall 39-281; Schany 4-29; Aaron Vandry 4-27.

Passing: Blair: Jordon Flynn 1-2-0-16. Gross: Coenen 3-7-0-12; Barrios 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: Blair: Zach Morris 1-16. Gross: Pat Kaipust 1-6; Kyle Dostal 1-3; Jurgensen 1-3.

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