Hampton is top flight in 2025

We may have seen the last of the Hampton Hawks soaring proudly on the football field in 2025. If that’s the case, what a way to go out.
The Hawks provided us with several big moments in 2025, as did the rest of our area teams, ones that left many speechless and myself scrambling to find the right words. 
Here are your top 10 games from 2025: 
1. Hampton gets signature win over Pawnee City
Hampton’s football team earned its biggest win in a generation on a soggy Friday night in September. On that day, the Hawks earned its first ranked victory of the Jereme Jones era, a 27-24 win over previously No. 4 Pawnee City.
The Indians took the field in Hampton on a 22-game regular season win streak, including a 59-6 win over the Hawks one year ago. 
Hampton finally got its signature win and something coach Jereme Jones is hopeful spurs more success down the stretch.
“This is the time, this is the team,” Jones said. “They can do it and they believed. They just fought and even though things got hard in the end, they just kept fighting. It was amazing.”
Wyatt Dose throwing dimes to Landen Rojewski. Kyler Rojewski tackling anything resembling a football. In this game, Hampton was at its best. It’s a shame we didn’t get that down the stretch. 
Hugs all around. Everyone in purple smiled. I won’t out them, but someone said at the time it was Hampton’s biggest win in 20 years. I certainly wasn’t going to argue. Hopefully no one argues its deserving spot at the top of this list.
2. Huskies bite Cardinals in conference final
Booker Scheierman only needed one shot on a Saturday night to know it was going to be a good one.
“It feels great,” an elated Scheierman said following Aurora’s 57-48 win over Crete. “When I made the first one, I had a feeling it was going to be a good day shooting and when Smitty (Parker Smith) made his first, I thought to myself, ‘We’re going to win this game today.’ It always feels good when you’re making shots.”
That’s exactly what the Huskies did in the opening quarter against the Cardinals, making six three-point field goals before holding off Crete in the fourth quarter to win its first Central Conference tournament since 2019 in a tournament final played at Columbus Lakeview. 
3. Aurora clutch in five-setter over York
Staring its second consecutive five-set match in the face and on the heels of losing a close fourth, Aurora coach Michaela Perry was emphatic with her team.
“You guys can do this!” she said multiple times before the Lady Huskies took the floor.
Aurora’s plethora of offensive weapons dug a little deeper and swung a bit harder, rallying past York in a five-set instant classic at home, 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 21-25 and 15-11.
Aurora took control in the fifth and deciding set with attacks from four different players, including Evelyn Kraus, Kenna Merrihew, Elizabeth Luebbe and Grace Wieseler, up 8-5 at York’s first timeout.
Two York kills were answered by back-to-back terminations from Kaitlyn Staehr, who led the Huskies with 18 on the night to take an 11-7 advantage.
Staehr added two more kills, forcing match point before the Huskies eventually picked up the victory on a York hitting error, 15-11.
4. Hornets rally in five past Pleasanton
It’s been eight years since Giltner won a five-set match. That is, until a Thursday night in September. 
The Hornets rallied in the fourth and fifth sets to earn one of its biggest wins in years, defeating Pleasanton 20-25, 25-22, 17-25, 25-21 and 15-10.
Giltner’s last five-set victory came in 2017 when the Hornets downed rival Hampton during postseason play that year. Since then, the Hornets have only played in five five-setters, on the wrong end each time.
First-year coach Paige Menke sported a huge smile following the game, noting how proud she was of the Hornets for digging deep and making the big plays when needed.
“This is so exciting,” she said. “It goes to show all of their hard work and how much they really want it. It was exciting we got there and finished. We haven’t played a five-set match yet and it was nice to know we can finish when the time comes and execute in those situations.”
5. Janda boots OT winner for Aurora
Hannah Janda sent the Husky faithful home with a big smile on the soccer pitch. 
The Aurora senior connected on the game-winning goal with just seconds left in overtime, handing the Lady Huskies a 2-1 win at Nebraska City and providing her team with wins in back-to-back days.
Neither team could score a potential game-winner in the first 10 minutes of overtime and the contest looked destined for a shootout when Janda’s heroics unfolded.
Several minutes prior, Janda was fouled and had to come out of the game. After being checked over by the trainers, Janda wanted back in and got her wish.
With a minute left, she re-entered the game and didn’t waste any time, scoring the game-winner with 14 seconds left and sending the Huskies into a frenzy in an effort Dunn called “GUTSY!”
6. Storm lose double OT heartbreaker
The Storm found themselves in a barn burner as Osceola came from behind to force two overtimes and eventually win, 57-52 in the CRC quarterfinals.
Osceola scored first in overtime and took its first lead of the night, 40-38 and hit a three on its next possession to go up 43-40.
Hans tied the game at the charity stripe at 43-all with 1:14 left before Osceola again grabbed the lead at the line, up one with under a minute left.
After a Bulldog missed three, Swedenburg made one of two at the line to tie the game once more as the Bulldogs missed a potential game-winning jumper, meaning a second extra session.
This time, Osceola scored the first seven points in the second OT while Hans was injured and left the floor for several minutes before returning late.
7. Lady Huskies down Vikings on rivalry weekend
It’s been nearly two decades since the Aurora girls basketball team has defeated rivals York and Northwest in the same season. 
The 2025-26 version of the Lady Huskies did so in the same weekend just a few weeks ago. 
A small run from the Huskies to begin the fourth that included drives from Hailey Hoff and Staehr sandwiched by an Evelyn Kraus midrange shot gave the visiting Huskies a 43-39 lead with four minutes to go.
Northwest responded with back-to-back three-pointers that quickly shifted the momentum to a 45-43 Viking lead at 2:34 to play.
Kraus made one of two at the line before a crucial Kendal Wineteer steal led to a momentous Kraus triple, giving Aurora the lead again 47-45 with 1:20 to play.
8. Aurora softball nearly upsets Northwest
The Huskies had Class B No. 1 Grand Island Northwest on the ropes during Thursday’s Central Conference semifinals, but the Vikings rallied with nine unanswered runs to defeat Aurora 9-7 and by day’s end, winning its sixth straight conference tournament in York. 
Aurora led the Vikings 7-0 at one point and still held a 7-6 lead as the 90-minute clock started to dwindle. Aurora was struck out in order during the bottom half of the fifth as the game was just short of the 90-minute clock, moving into the sixth.
Northwest didn’t relent, tying the game with one out before a two-run shot over center field with two outs to give the Vikings its first lead, 9-7.
With one last chance to respond, Aurora was unable to get a baserunner as the Vikings held on for the win.
9. Giltner/Harvard rallies past HPC
Foul trouble wasn’t enough to slow down Peyton Schutt on a Friday night in December
The Giltner/Harvard sophomore sat for much of the game with early foul trouble, but still managed 20 points and eight rebounds in a 54-45 come-from-behind effort over rival High Plains. 
In all, it turned out to be a 14-4 run for Giltner/Harvard to close out the game that included eight points from Schutt. In fact, 10 of Schutt’s 20 total points came in the final quarter alone.
10. Huskies cannot convert late rally
The final five minutes of Aurora-Seward were fast and furious. The Bluejays broke a scoreless tie with just over three minutes remaining. Aurora didn’t quit and pushed for a couple equalizers, but just couldn’t find it, leading to a 1-0 Bluejay victory April 22.
Despite the loss, Aurora coach Michael Ksiazek was proud of how the team competed throughout the game but especially not packing it in late.
“I thought the team battled well,” he said. “Looking back at the game, you obviously wish it had a different outcome, and some things would have fallen your way, but that’s how sports go. The boys on the team never gave up and battled until the end, and I couldn’t ask for anything different.”
We didn’t have any team state champions this year, but we tip our backwards cap to three individual champions, including HPC’s Gage Friesen for winning the Class D 150-pound wrestling championship, HPC’s Brodey Spurling for winning the Class D triple jump at state track as well as Aurora’s Julia Messere for winning the Class B girls state golf tournament. 
Here’s to another solid list of thrillers to come in 2026. See everyone on the sidelines -- backwards hat and all.  
RICHARD RHODEN