The First Game You See In Heaven

Elkhorn North football coach Sam Stanley stood near the south 30 yard line at Elkhorn Stadium on Thursday night just short of 10:15 pm.

His football team — once No. 1 in Class B, but losers of two consecutive games — had just defeated Bennington, 29-27, for the first time in school history. Quarterback Ethan Beachy scored on a sneak on the last play of the game that capped a final six minutes so furious that it had to have had some help from somewhere.

See, it was Senior Night. And everyone in the stadium, those watching on television in Omaha, heck, most of the darn state of Nebraska knew that Sam Stanley probably shouldn’t be where he was standing on Thursday night.

But, he was.

See, Sam Stanley hadn’t coached a football game since September 19th — a 31-21 win over Gretna. It was shortly after that his nearly one-year old son, Grant, a twin, began to develop complications from being born with a congenital heart disease. He passed away last Saturday and would have turned one on November 6th.

Maybe, just maybe, it was Grant that got his dad to the football field on Thursday; to that final Wolves practice on Wednesday night.

“We were sitting in the locker room before practice and we heard some rumors that Batman has returned,” senior linebacker Jase Reynolds said with a laugh and some tears still on his face. “Obviously, it brought a spark to our team. Having your head man there, it really gave us something else to fight for.”

The game — ohhh, goodness the game — had a little bit of everything. Surely, Grant Stanley was there, too.

The Wolves punched from the start, forging ahead 13-0 at halftime. Reynolds — the Nebraska pledge — intercepted Badger quarterback Ty Bouaphakeo on the second play of the game and returned it 21 yards for a score. On Bennington’s next play Bouaphakeo fumbled and it set up the first of three Zac Keenan field goals.

But, there wasn’t much else for offense in the first half. So, maybe it was Grant Stanley who set the final 24 minutes in frantic motion.

Bouaphakeo — all of a sudden — found new life. He led touchdown drives of 57 and 76 yards on the Badgers first two possessions of the third quarter, the second ending with his 60-yard strike to Jake Russell. Bennington 14, Elkhorn North 13.

“The whole second half, it was just next play,” Reynolds said.

The Wolves settled down and when Keenan’s final field goal capped a 9-play, 65-yard drive for a 16-14 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter you thought maybe the everyone had settled in.

No sir. Not on Grant Stanley’s watch. He had more football to show us.

So, here came Bouaphakeo and the Badgers. Nine plays, 78 yards and another strike to Russell from 11 yards — 20-16 with 5:50 left.

Then came the Wolves. They needed just 3:05 to regain the lead with Beachy running every which way and connecting with three different receivers on a 69-yard drive he ended with an 8-yard scamper. Surely, Elkhorn North had done it leading 23-20 with 2:38 left.

On the ensuing possession, down to one final play, Bennington faced fourth-and-10 from their own 45. And, what if Bouaphakeo didn’t connect with sophomore Landon Molacek for a 55-yard touchdown that sucked the wind out of the Elkhorn side of the stadium.

But, the Wolves had 1:49 left. There was no reason to quit now. Not with what their football family had gone through all season.

Beachy found Drew Meier and Reynolds on passes that moved the ball to the Badger 20 in no time. Time enough to set up Beachy on his sweep runs to the sideline. They had moved to the Badger 5 with under 30 seconds left. After a pair on incompletions, Beachy scrambled to the right pylon near the goal line, but we he was just short.

Clock running, the Wolves took it down to a second before calling a final timeout. And then, with his lineman blocking down and to their right, Beachy moved to his left and scored easily.

Everyone loved it. Grant Stanley included; his first game in Heaven.

“It was meant to be," Beachy said. “I had faith in our team and we went out and won that thing.”

Sam Stanley probably wasn’t sure what to say to his team postgame, but the words were prophetic. As if what they had been through was now being used to teach life’s greatest lessons.

“We are becoming whole again," Stanley told his team. “What this has meant to me, I can't put it into words. I love you. I'm proud of it, and I'm excited about what we're going to be doing. I'll see you next week, and then we continue on our quest for a title.”

Sam Stanley and his family will celebrate Grant’s life today and lay him to rest. The hardest thing anyone should ever have to do. His football family will be there to help him.

But a playoff bracket will come out today, too. It will have Elkhorn North (7-2) on it somewhere and an opponent for them to prepare for next week.

Just a few more football games where Grant Stanley has the best seat in the house.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Stanley family to help with funeral costs and other immediate family needs. You can donate here. 

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