CRETE, Neb. — Christian Dudzik asked his Omaha Skutt teammates to pick him up after a fourth-quarter fumble.

It turns out the SkyHawk senior did some of the lifting himself.

Dudzik’s interception with 8.9 seconds remaining sealed Class B No. 2 Skutt’s 20-13 win over seventh-ranked Crete on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs in front of a reporter-estimated 2,000 at Simon Field.

“That was gut-wrenching,” Dudzik said.

His third-down miscue while trying to escape a rush gave Crete the ball at midfield just four minutes after the Cardinals had closed within one score.

But Crete back Brock Sherman, who already had carried 16 times in the second half, fumbled on attempt No. 17 at the Skutt 25 with 2:17 remaining.

The SkyHawks ran off all but 20 seconds before punting it back to the Cardinals for one last opportunity.

But Dudzik picked off Crete quarterback Derek McGinnis’ pass deep downfield on the next play, and the SkyHawks secured a Nov. 14 home semifinal game against Blair.

“We’re just happy to escape here with a win,” Skutt coach Matt Turman said. “We knew coming in they had improved from Week 3 (a 34-0 Skutt win). We knew we’d be in a much tougher game tonight.”

Early on it didn’t appear as if that would be the case. Dudzik connected with wide receiver Myles Jablonski on the game’s first play for 49 yards to the Crete 31. Five plays later, the same combination hooked up for a 13-yard touchdown strike.

Skutt would push the lead to 13-0 when Dudzik returned a punt 82 yards for a score. Crete answered with a 37-yard touchdown pass from McGinnis to Ben Muff with just more than a minute left in the first half.

But that left the SkyHawks too much time.

Three plays later, Dudzik found Jacob Smith deep down the right sideline for a 46-yard touchdown to stun the Cardinals.

“They were going to be tough to handle on the perimeter,” Crete coach Chuck McGinnis said. “They just made a couple of great plays.”

Sherman finished with 158 yards on 32 carries, a majority of Crete’s 213 total yards. Dudzik was 10 of 16 through the air for 205 yards and two scores. Jablonski and Smith each caught four balls, going for 111 and 83 yards, respectively.

“Those two are as good as any in the state,” Turman said. “Christian is really beginning to trust them and just throw the ball up and let them go make plays.”

The win puts Skutt in the semifinals for the first time since 2005, when it won a state championship. Sixth-ranked Blair, which upset No. 4 Waverly on Friday, awaits.

“This was a good precursor for that game,” Turman said. “With the way both of those teams like to pound the ball, this should be good for us.”

Omaha Skutt (11-0) 61400—20

At Crete (6-5) 0607—13

OS: Myles Jablonski 13 pass from Christian Dudzik (kick failed).

OS: Dudzik 82 punt return (Turner Mead kick).

C: Ben Muff 37 pass from Derek McGinnis (kick failed).

OS: Jacob Smith 46 pass from Dudzik (Mead kick).

C: Brock Sherman 5 run (Jordan Pedersen kick).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: OS, Christian Dudzik 14-23, Corey Stringer 7-27, Joe Vonnahme 3-5, Jacob Smith 1-6, Kyle Pokorny 1-minus 2 Total 26-63; C, Brock Sherman 32-158, Derek McGinnis 9-minus 11, Aaron Paulsen 4-9, Taylor Phipps 1-0 Total 46-156.

PASSING: OS, Dudzik 10-16-0 205; C, McGinnis 2-6-2 57.

RECEIVING: OS, Myles Jablonski 4-111, Smith 4-83, Stringer 2-11; C, Ben Muff 2-57.

Contact the writer:

850-0781, nickrubek@hotmail.com

Aurora 35, McCook 10

McCOOK, Neb. — Tyson Broekemeier threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead top-ranked Aurora, which overcame a 10-7 halftime deficit.

Aurora (11-0) 07721—35

McCook (7-4) 01000—10

M: Smith 2 run (Wallen kick)

A: Broekemeier 1 run (Broekemeier kick)

M: Wallen 35 field goal

A: McCarthy 3 pass from Broekemeier (Broekemeier kick)

A: Van Pelt 30 pass from Broekemeier (Broekemeier kick)

A: McCarthy 10 interception (Broekemeier kick)

A: Smith 2 run