DONNELLSON — The challenge for Central Lee was to find a way to keep West Burlington-Notre Dame running back Jayden Nanthen from doing what he’s done to so many other teams this season, and the Hawks did that.
It also gave them a chance to stay close to the Falcons even after their quick start.
It wasn’t enough, though, as WB-ND took a 27-15 win in a Class 2A District 6 game on Friday night.
Central Lee (2-3 overall, 0-2 district) was coming off a 45-6 loss at West Liberty last week, and this game was a reminder, coach Doug Dodds said, of what he’s been telling his team all week.
“I thought our kids did a really good job tonight,” Dodds said. “I’m really proud of the effort, how hard they played. That’s what we talked about this week — taking care of ourselves. And I thought we did that and gave ourselves a chance tonight.”
Nanthen, a sophomore, came into the game ranked fifth in the state with 839 rushing yards, an average of more than 209 per game. Nanthen rushed for 116 in this game on 23 carries.
WB-ND quarterback Kellan Porter, a freshman, threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns on a night when the Falcons outgained Central Lee 333-237.
“We had to make a choice,” Dodds said of how he was going to defend the Falcons. “I thought we did a good job on (Nanthen).”
Porter led the Falcons on a 7-play, 71-yard touchdown drive to open the game, finishing the possession with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tatum Warner for a 7-0 lead.
But WB-ND wouldn’t score again until late in the second quarter, when Porter threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jezden Nupp for a 14-0 lead with 3:04 to play in the half.
Central Lee answered with a touchdown in the final minute of the half. The Hawks went on a 7-play, 62-yard drive, capped when Brett Cook threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ward Fraise on fourth down with 29 seconds left.
Going into halftime down 14-7 gave the Hawks momentum.
“I thought our kids really understood who they were on that drive, and what it was going to take in the second half for us to have a chance,” Dodds said. “We talked about controlling the line of scrimmage and just keep grinding.”
Nanthen scored two second-half touchdowns, one on a 3-yard run with 5:59 left in the third quarter and another with 8:11 to play.
Central Lee, though, wasn’t done. Will Hayes recovered a fumble at the Hawks’ 42-yard line, and Central Lee responded with a 7-play touchdown drive. Peter Seyb, who had 142 rushing yards on 22 carries in the game, had runs of 26 and 16 yards on the drive, and Cook ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, then added the two-point conversion run.
“I think it was great for our kids,” Dodds said. “It just shows all the things that we can do. We were able to wear them down a little bit and control the line of scrimmage at the end of the game.”
WB-ND (3-2, 1-1), though, was able to run out the clock after recovering the onside kick.
The Hawks play host to Mid-Prairie next Friday.
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