Aside from a second-quarter breakaway touchdown by Tay Tay Jenkins, two-time defending champion Omaha Westside — without its ailing coach — sputtered on offense and its 32-game winning streak ended with a whimper.

Millard South 27, Westside 10.

Aamir Hill caught two of Jett Thomalla’s three touchdown passes, both in the second half, and tacked on an 81-yard run to seal the Patriots’ 12th consecutive win after a season-opening loss in the Arizona desert against a national top-50 team.

Especially in the second half, after Westside gained a 10-6 lead, Millard South won the line of scrimmage on both sides. Braylen Warren, who would have been the first sophomore quarterback to win a state championship game in Class A since Isaac Aakre of Millard North in 2010, coincidentally against Millard South, was sacked seven times.

Westside netted 31 yards in the second half and 165 for the game, and 63 came on Jenkins’ touchdowns.

“Like I told Jett at the end, I said, it wasn’t our prettiest performance, but they all count the same,” Millard South coach Ty Wisdom said. “I was just proud how they gutted it out and found a way.

“Guys stepped up on defense and made plays. And then obviously, Aamir just made some plays at the end.”

Hill, who was at Omaha Central last season, caught a 37-yard pass from Thomalla for Millard South’s first second-half lead. And then, by making eye contact with Thomalla as the quarterback scrambled left and then right, caught an 11-yarder inside the near corner of the end zone as he came back for the ball.

“I couldn’t even imagine being on this stage this big starting out in high school,” Hill said. “I’m just happy we’re here, I’m happy I made the most of my opportunities.”

Not on the Westside sideline was coach Paul Limongi, who’s been hospitalized since the weekend with an undisclosed medical condition.

Limongi spoke to the Warriors via a video hookup before they left Omaha, a source close to the team said, and was planning to watch the game from his hospital room.

In his absence, the team was in the hands of offensive coordinator Craig Secora and defensive co-coordinator Damon Benning.

“It was hard,” Benning said. “I think one of the things that makes it so difficult is we’re just so close, not only as a coach and as players, but, you know, our personal relationship. It’s who I spent most of my time with, COVID. You know, I started with him at Burke in 2005, and it was difficult to watch him go through this.

“But in typical coach Limongi fashion, you know, he didn’t want us worried about him, and he didn’t want the whole win one for the Gipper thing. He wanted us to focus, and he said no distractions that included him.”

Westside’s points came in the second quarter.

“They were winning at the point of attack, and they really didn’t waver,” Benning said. “We were getting stops, and we just felt like if we could just get a two-score lead, but it just never came to fruition. At 10-6, we had two chances to go up two scores.

“It’s just a really tough offense to hold down over time, but that defense, they came to play.”

The game was the first state final with a Black officiating crew: referee Darryl Moore, Skyler Johnson, Michael McPhaull, Sylvester Thomas and Fred Whitted.

Millard South (12-1)……….0   6  7  14—27

Omaha Westside (12-1)….0  10  0    0—10

MS: Dallas Gaius 10 pass from Jett Thomalla (kick failed)

OW: Tay Tay Jenkins 63 run (Everest Scherlizin kick)

MS: Aamir Hill 37 pass from Thomalla (Trent Van Surksum kick)

MS: Hill 11 pass from Thomalla (Van Surksum kick)

MS Hill 81 run (Van Surksum kick)

Rushing: MS, Hill 7-100, Gabe Prucha 16-34, Thomalla 4-minus 27. OW, Jenkins 20-122, Keynan Cotton 1-11, Finn Christensen 1-0, Braylen Warren 14-minus 19.

Passing: MS, Thomalla 19-29-1 222. OW, Warren, 8-18-2 51, Cotton 0-1-0.

Receiving: MS, Hill 8-64, Chase Loftin 3-26, Amarion Jackson 2-45, DaShawn Prince 2-36. OW, Cotton 5-17, Jenkins 2-19, Eli Johnson 1-15.

ackles (unassisted-assisted-total): MS, Teagan Urban 7-3-10, Adam Pugh 2-5-7, Daxton Williams 2-4-6, Solomon Baker 3-3-6, Toris Rudd 3-1-4, Eli Mitchell 2-2-4, Easton Villotta 0-4-4, Elijah Malesa 2-2-4, Braedyn Kiger 1-3-4, Elijah Williams 2-1-3, Isaiah Traylor 3-0-3, Jameson Raymer 1-2-3, DaShawn Prince 2-0-2, Aidan Marshall 2-0-2, Gus Gadsden 1-0-1. OW, Joseph Simon 5-3-8, Joe Sona 3-5-8, Jonny Hurtado 3-3-6, Hudson Mead 1-5-6, Christian Jones 0-5-5, Reid McIntyre 2-3-5, John Paul Ryanm 2-3-5, Bryson Williams 0-5-5, Cotton 2-2-4, Montana Costell 0-3-3, Darrell Taylor 2-1-3, Burke Brown 1-1-2, Hunter Wynne 0-2-2, Diesel Kline 1-1-2, Luke Starlin 0-2-2, Quinton Warren 1-0-1, Mo Purify 1-0-1.

Interceptions: MS, Rodd 1-8, Prince 1-2. OW, Jones 1-0.