Turnovers cost Neumann in loss to Norfolk Catholic (2024)

WAHOO — In a battle of two of the top teams in Class C-2, the Bishop Neumann football team fell just short by a score of 28-21 to Norfolk Catholic on Aug. 30 in the season opener. A few costly turnovers are what did in the Cavaliers against the two-time defending state champion Knights.

“We definitely had the fight out there, we never gave up, and that was very important,” Bishop Neumann Head Coach Jordan Robertson said. “We talk about that all the time. That is a big part of our culture and who we are. Very disappointing, and very hard to lose in that way, because there are a lot of little mistakes that could have been avoided. Things that we gave them and just little communication errors and pre-snap penalties and a lot of stuff like that you think is cleaned up going into week one and then it happens, and it is super frustrating. We will get better, we’ll grow, and we’ll move forward.”

To start the game, Neumann had the football and made several first downs before being stopped by Norfolk Catholic.

On the Knights’ first possession, the Cavaliers’ defense did a great job creating pressure and stopped Norfolk Catholic on three straight plays. A roughing the kicker call on Neumann on the punt extended the drive for the Knights.

That penalty ended up being just the spark the Knights needed, with Callen Marshall throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Trevin Sukop with 7:15 to go in the first. After the extra point, Norfolk Catholic was up 7-0.

Around midway through the second quarter, Neumann finally got the spark they needed when Jake Rezac threw a slant route to Beau Fujan. The speedy hurdler on the track had green grass in front of him, breaking loose for an 89-yard touchdown with 5:43 to go in the half.

The extra point attempt for the Cavaliers was no good which allowed the Knights to hold onto the lead at 7-6.

Neumann’s next possession didn’t end as well with Rezac getting picked off by Nathan Timmerman, setting up Norfolk Catholic in good field position.

The Knights capitalized on the turnover, with Timmerman scoring from a yard out with 0:32 left in the second quarter. Following the PAT attempt, Norfolk Catholic had a 14-6 advantage over the Cavaliers at the break.

Out of halftime, the Knights had the ball first, and they did a good job of marching down the field and eating up a ton of clock.

On a drive that took nearly eight minutes, Timmerman hauled in a touchdown with 4:32 to go in the third. The extra point by Norfolk Catholic extended their lead to 21-6.

Neumann answered back after the Knights big score with Rezac finding Marcus Woita on a play-action that went the distance. On the two-point attempt, Booth rumbled into the end zone to trim the Cavaliers deficit down to 21-14.

Late in the fourth quarter, Neumann trailed 28-14 after a third touchdown from Timmerman. This didn’t stop the Cavaliers from creating a scoring drive of their own that ended with Rezac completing a pass to Isaiah Nagle for a score with 1:56 in the fourth.

Down by seven with 25 seconds to go in the game, Neumann forced Norfolk Catholic into a fourth and 1. The Knights used a good push at the line to get their back just enough room to get the first and secure the win.

Throwing for 175 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the loss for the Cavaliers was Jake Rezac.

Fujan was the leading receiver with 79 yards and a touchdown. Hauling in 45 yards after the catch and a score was Nagle, while Woita had one grab for 16 yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Conor Booth rushed for 134 yards on 27 carries.

Leading the defense for Neumann with 11 tackles was Jack Van Slyke. Calib Svoboda finished with nine tackles, while Jarred Cernik had seven tackles and a blocked punt.

Also coming up with seven tackles was Kamber Lechtenberg.

The Cavaliers travel down the road to take on Yutan on Sept. 6. In their first game, the Chieftains fell to Oakland-Craig 34-14.