Victory formation is every football teams favorite play. Alliance got to experience it Friday night in their final game in Ogallala. Using a strong running game, the Dogs defeated the Indians 28 to 21 to finish their season with a 4 and 5 record. Alliance got big rushing performances from Trini Trejo and Caysen Robertson to end the year with solid W. A 67 yard TD carry by Trejo in the second quarter broke a 14 to 14 and gave the guests a lead at halftime. Another Trejo tally in the third helped the Bulldogs go up by 14. Ogallala would score late but it wasn’t enough as the Bulldogs held on for the win.
Trejo’s big effort began on the opening kickoff when the speedy Junior got the ball past midfield. It would take the visitors 7 plays to get on the scoreboard with a one yard touchdown run. The point after was no good and with 9:19 on the clock, AHS had a 6 to 0 margin. Alliance’s D was strong on the Indian’s first drive, forcing a three and out. A penalty of the Dogs on their ensuing possession denied another score by Alliance. It would take just 3 plays for OG to get into the scoring column. A long pass of 23 yards plus an Alliance penalty gave the Indians the ball inside the 30. With 5:22 remaining in the first, Ogallala took the lead with a 27 yard TD carry. The extra point kick was good, making it 7 to 6. Another long return by Trejo gave AHS hope on their next try. Robertson had a pair of good runs for the Dogs but a quarterback sack on fourth down stopped the Alliance drive. The period came to a close with Jackson Devlin recovering an Ogallala fumble and the Dogs down 7 to 6.
Aided by a pair of penalties by the Indians, Alliance put together a scoring drive to start the second. The highlight of the possession came on a fourth pass from quarterback Jay Shelmadine to receiver Wyatt Stabnow that gave the Dogs a first down inside the 5 yard line. Robertson would end the drive by scoring from the one yard line on a fourth down carry. The point after was good on a pass from Espen Lanik to Devlin. With 8:39 left in the half , Alliance had a 14 to 7 advantage. Ogallala responded with a score to tie the game at 14. In just 3 plays, the hosts scored on a 20 yard TD run at the 8 minute mark. Alliance then retook the lead with another touch by Trejo . The scamper went 67 yards and with 6:42 left in the half the guests surged ahead 20 to 14. An Ogallala three and out series ensued with the Dogs getting nice plays from Jett Herian and Cole Stoike. Robertson gave the Bulldogs another scoring opportunity on the next possession. A 36 yard gain by the Sophomore pushed the ball into OG territory. But a pair of Alliance penalties stopped the attempt. A good punt by Alliance’s Mikey Johnson pinned the hosts deep inside their own territory as the half came to a close. Ogallala would use a couple of flags on Alliance to march across midfield. Tackles from Nason Thompson, Herian, and Robertson made things tough for the hosts. The half came to a conclusion with a missed field goal try and the Dogs out in front 20 to 14.
Alliance’s D continued their fine play on Ogallala first drive in the third. Tackles by Smiley Valdovinos and Ethan Schulze were key. An interception by Lanik foiled the Indian drive. Lanik returned the pick 32 yards to set up another touchdown for the Dogs. The drive began with a big gain by Robertson of 22 yards. With the ball on the 13, Trejo scored again. The play came at the 8:05 mark. Trejo added the pat as AHS went ahead 28 to 14. A sack by Robertson forced an Indian punt on the following drive. The Dogs also had to punt on their next attempt as the period came to an end. A half back pass on fourth down by OG covering 22 yards finish the quarter with the hosts having the ball inside the 5.
Period #4 began with an Alliance goal line stand. Pressure by Herian forced an incomplete pass on second down. On fourth down, a pick by Valdovinos in the end zone stopped the OG comeback. Three more flags on AHS on their next drive kept the Dogs off the board . Another strong punt by Johnson turned the field position over. Tackles for losses by Stoike and Lucas Weber slowed down the following Indian possession. At midfield, another INT by Lanik helped the Dogs preserve their lead. The visitors couldn’t cash in on the turnover and had to punt the ball back to the Indians. Disaster then struck as Ogallala scored on an 83 yard TD pass with under 3 minutes left. Their xtra point was good, making it 28 to 21. Ogallala would try an onside kick but Bulldog Colton Johnson was there for the recovery. Needing a first down to run out the clock , Alliance got gains by Trejo to get close. An OG penalty put the contest away. Alliance knelt on the ball for their final play as the Dogs got the win 28 to 21
All 6 14 8 0 28
OG 7 7 0 7 21
Very unofficial stats had Trejo rushing the ball 28 times for 161 yards. Robertson had 14 attempts for 102 yards. Lanik 7 carries 35 yards.
Hopes will be high for the 2026 season. Despite losing some fine seniors, Alliance returns many players for a bright future.