What happened: The Bellevue West football team took down cross-town rivals Bellevue East 81-6 on Friday, August 31. West improved their record to 2-0. After West’s starting quarterback Jacob Coldanghise suffered an injury on the first play from scrimmage, backup senior Evan Kieser led the Thunderbirds to the victory with 222 yards passing and 4 touchdowns.

By the numbers: The Thunderbird offense bounced back quickly after Coldanghise’s injury and found their momentum. Running backs junior Jevyon Ducker and senior Justin Chaney combined for 312 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on the day. Wide receiver junior Zavier Betts led the team in receiving with 3 touchdowns.

Those who showed up: Both schools came out to show their support for their teams on the humid day at Faiman Field. The stadium was packed full of students, parents, and teachers who came out to see the game.

The other side: Bellevue East had trouble this game to find answers on offense as West’s defense shut them down on almost every possession. East starting quarterback senior Antonio Arriola had many throws where he could not connect with his receivers. East also had some good tackles during the game but had a difficult time stopping the Thunderbirds overall.

Did you see that? Although East lost this game, they did something that they had not done in a long time. Late in the 3rd quarter senior Jacob Larson ran for a touchdown, making it the first time in three years that the Chieftains had scored on West’s defense. For context, it was the first time that the East seniors had seen their football team score on West during their high school tenure.

Up next: West’s next game is at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 7 at Papillion-LaVista South High School.