HARTINGTON — Crofton held off a late Cedar rally to earn a 28-13 non-District win over the Trojans in opening-season football action here Thursday.

Crofton got on the board first thanks to a five-yard Tom Peitz run.

Cedar countered a few plays later with a 62-yard Keenan Sudbeck touchdown scamper.

Sudbeck ended the game with 136 yards rushing to lead the Cedar offense.

Crofton 7   7   7   7  — 28

HARTINGTON —Cedar Catholic’s opening-season showdown with Crofton Thursday is drawing quite a bit of state-wide attention.

Cedar, the 2009 Class C2 state runner-up comes into the game rated eighth in teh state in one major poll and ninth in the state in another statewide poll.

Crofton, moving down from Class C1 this year, comes into the game rated second in the state in all three major polls.

The contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Here is a look at some of the games played Aug. 27, the first full night of action for Nebraska high school football teams. Only Randolph in Cedar C0unty played this week. The rest of the county teams will start next week.

CLASS C2

LAUREL — After finishing the 2009 season with a 5-4 record and a trip to the playoffs, Laurel-Concord head coach Terry Beair feels confident that this year will be even better.

“We lose a good class of players from last year,” Beair said. “But this year’s preseason practices have gone tremendously well.”

RANDOLPH — A season of change is upon the Randolph Cardinals’ football team as they now enter the world of eight-man football.

The Cardinals have made the transition to class D-1 and will be part of District D1-7 District  seven, along with Allen, Hartington, Osmond, Winside and other eight-man newcomer Creighton.

“We’re used to being in a tough district,” head coach Mark Lech said. “We’re looking forward to the competition.”

HARTINGTON — Years ago when Cedar Catholic High School was Holy Trinity, a football rivalry with Crofton grew to be an event of great importance.

“When I was in high school, we didn’t care who else we played but the game with Holy Trinity, that was the one you wanted to win no matter what,” said Dennis Merkel.

To ensure bragging rights from one year to the next, a traveling trophy was passed between the two schools – a Little Brown Jug.

HARTINGTON —  Three area Class C2 football teams are rated in the Top 10 in the state by most of the major high school pre-season polls.

Crofton, which is moving down from C1, is rated second in the Huskerland Prep Report, Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World Herald pre-season polls.

Hastings St. Cecilia, the 2009 Class C1 state champ, has moved down to Class C2 and is the pre-season favorite in all three publications to win it all this year in C2.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Wynot Expos displayed their hitting and pitching prowess in a big first-round S.D. Amateur Baseball State Tournament win over Geddes.

HARTINGTON — A six-run deficit in the first inning proved too much for Laurel-Coleridge to overcome on Saturday as it was eliminated from the Class C Area 2 American Legion Senior District Baseball Tournament at Felber Park in Hartington.

The 9-1 knockout punch was delivered by Pender, which recorded six hits and six runs in the first against starting Laurel-Coleridge pitcher Clint Wemhoff.

“That inning made the biggest difference for us,” Laurel-Coleridge head coach Don Maxwell said. “The most important thing for us to do at that point was to keep battling and not quit playing the game.”

PENDER — Hartington had  to go into extra innings Saturday in order to claim its third win over Crofton this season.

The win proved to be the team’s biggest victory of the year as it came in the first round of the Class C American Legion Juniors State Baseball Tournament.

Hartington’s offense came alive late in Saturday’s first-round game to earn the 6-5 victory and advance to Sunday’s second-round contest at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

HARTINGTON — Wakefield used a late-inning offensive surge to earn a 10-run win over Hartington in first-round action of the Area 2 American Legion Senior baseball tournament Friday.

Wakefield earned the 12-1 six-inning run to advance to Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Randolph.

Hartington will play Ponca at 2 p.m., while Pender will take on Laurel in the noon game.