At the athletic banquet I was recognized for winning the 200th game as head coach at Bancroft-Rosalie School. Reflecting back on the 276 games I have coached here at B-R, I put together my top ten list of memorable games.
#1 1985. Bancroft-Rosalie 56, Sandhills 20. The first state championship game, played in sub-zero temperature. I believe a key to our victory was the decision to play in tennis shoes instead cleats because of the icy field conditions.
#2 1999. Bancroft-Rosalie 42, Lawrence-Nelson 14. The second state championship game played at Memorial Field in Lincoln. The game was tied at half-time, but a 28-0 second half provided the difference.
#3 2006. Bancroft-Rosalie 38, Clarkson 36. One of the greatest play-off game upsets ever. This game catapulted the 2006 team into the state championship.
#4 2009. Bancroft-Rosalie 28, Howells 26. Another great upset win. This game is only #4 because it did not occur in the play-off’s.
#5 1986. Ansley 40, Bancroft-Rosalie 14. We lost this state championship game, but had to play with several injured players. Some tried to play while injured and others had to miss the game.
#6 2007. Overton 32, Bancroft-Rosalie 8. Another second place finish. The 2007 B-R team got the most out of their ability. A very satisfying season.
#7 1986. Bancroft-Rosalie 32, Coleridge 0. What would a top ten list be without a Coleridge game? This game matched the #1 rated teams in D-1 and D-2. On a windy night, we chose to take the wind first and took advantage of excellent field position the first quarter to score. The defense played great.
#8 1999. Bancroft-Rosalie 27. Humphrey St. Francis 26. This nail-biter sent us to Lincoln for the first time. A blocked extra point in overtime and a fourth down completion on the game-tying last drive made for a memorable finish.
#9 1983. Beemer 30, Bancroft-Rosalie 28. There has to be a Beemer game in here too. This is a game that I believe turned around the Bancroft-Rosalie program. We trailed at 30-0 half-time. The second half was all B-R and we came close to pulling off a big upset. If the boys had gotten blown out, they might have started looking for a new coach.
#10 1983. Bancroft-Rosalie 32, Wynot 0. My first win at B-R, after an 0-10 start. My father sent me a touching letter congratulating me on the victory. Wynot could not stop the quick pitches.
There are lots of other memorable games, like the first homecoming win over Allen in 1983, the upset of #1 Walthill that featured Walthill back Bullett Beaudette, the frist play-off win against Winnebago 1985, we could go on and on.
We could debate these other games and whether they are top ten worthy, but since I am the Coach, I get to make this call and this is how I see it.
