09/26/2026
Bluejays Adapt to the Elements, Blank Raymond Central 36-0
(This brought to you by Great Plains Propane)
RAYMOND, Nebraska — There are nights in Nebraska when the view alone tells you what time of year it is.
From high above the field at Raymond Central Friday night, acres of beans stretched toward the horizon, nearly ready for harvest.
But as the night wore on, that picturesque late-September scene slowly disappeared.
So did just about everything else.
Fog rolled across the field, moisture hung in the air and conditions deteriorated enough to bring back memories of the famous 1988 “Fog Bowl” playoff game between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.
Through it all, Ashland-Greenwood found a way to adapt.
The top-ranked Bluejays leaned on a dominant defensive performance, overcame Raymond Central’s efforts to slow their running game and gradually pulled away for a 36-0 victory over their longtime rival.
The final score may have been one-sided, but Raymond Central entered the game with little interest in making things comfortable for the unbeaten Bluejays. The Mustangs loaded up against an Ashland-Greenwood rushing attack that has been one of the strengths of the team all season, forcing the Bluejays to look elsewhere.
And they did.
Ashland-Greenwood attempted a season-high 16 passes despite conditions that were hardly conducive to throwing the football. Quarterback Wave Cerny completed 6 passes (of 14 attempts) for 147 yards and a touchdown as the Bluejays air attack continues its positive evolution this season.
Wide receiver Jake Cormier said afterward that when Raymond Central committed additional defenders to stopping the run, it created opportunities for Ashland-Greenwood through the air.
That ability to adjust may have been one of the more significant developments to come from the night. The Bluejays still rushed for 256 yards, but their willingness to throw when Raymond Central challenged them at the line of scrimmage helped produce 416 yards of total offense.
Cerny provided perhaps the most memorable play of the evening with his legs.
The junior quarterback broke loose on a twisting 38-yard touchdown run that featured nearly as much strength as speed, navigating his way through the Raymond Central defense before breaking free. Cerny finished with 46 yards rushing on four carries to go along with his yards through the air.
Grayson Nolan once again handled the bulk of the work on the ground. The senior carried 26 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, grinding away against a Raymond Central defense determined to make every yard difficult.
Jack Johnson added 27 yards on six carries, while Lisle Spears rushed for 40 yards as Ashland-Greenwood finished with four rushing touchdowns.
Up front, the Bluejay offensive line was asked to do something a little different than usual. The group that has paved the way for Ashland-Greenwood's running attack also had to protect Cerny on a night when the Bluejays went to the air more frequently. Despite the wet and increasingly difficult conditions, the offensive line kept the pocket clean.
Yet the larger story Friday may have been what happened when Raymond Central had the football.
Or, more specifically, what didn't happen.
Ashland-Greenwood did not allow a single rushing yard. The Bluejay defense held Raymond Central to just 65 total yards, all of them through the air, while pitching the shutout. It was another strong performance for a unit that has consistently made life difficult for opposing offenses.
Middle linebacker Andrew Beranek, one of six Bluejays who had at least one tackle for a loss, credited much of that consistency afterward to the preparation provided by the Ashland-Greenwood coaching staff and the work the defense puts in before Friday night ever arrives.
That preparation showed against Raymond Central. Running lanes were difficult to find, and when the Mustangs tried to attack through the air, the Bluejays limited the damage there as well.
Even special teams managed to provide a highlight under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Precocious freshman Myles Knapp stepped onto the wet field and connected on a 38-yard field goal, an impressive kick made even more notable by the conditions.
For Ashland-Greenwood, the victory continued an unbeaten start that has pushed the Bluejays to the top of the Class C1 rankings.
For Raymond Central the Mustangs presented challenges by committing themselves to trying to take away what Ashland-Greenwood has done best offensively.
The Bluejays' answer was to find another way.
Ashland-Greenwood and Raymond Central have played games that remain part of the lore of both programs. Raymond Central won a remarkable 2-0 game in 1979, and four years later the Mustangs prevailed again in a dramatic winner-take-all meeting in 1983.
Friday night's matchup didn't produce that kind of drama on the scoreboard.
Instead, it produced a different sort of memory.
An old rivalry. A wet field. Fog settling over the Nebraska countryside. A freshman drilling a 38-yard field goal. A quarterback finding ways to make plays with both his arm and his legs. And a defense that didn't surrender a single yard on the ground.
By the time the night was over, the surrounding beanfields were barely visible through the haze.
The result, however, was clear.
Ashland-Greenwood 36, Raymond Central 0.
