PALMYRA, NE - Hitting the road for the first time this season, Lourdes Central Catholic made an early statement as a team to be reckoned with in Class D-2.

Nolan Beccard accounted for five touchdowns, Bob Honeysuckle paced the Knights' defense to a 28-point halftime advantage, and Lourdes Central Catholic ran away from Palmyra 62-26 in the annual nonconference rivalry contest between the two eight-man programs.
 
Beccard, the Knights' quarterback, started off strong, capping Lourdes' opening scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The senior would later make it 16-0 with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brady Schnitzer, and the Knights would extend the lead to 24-0 on a 23-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep by Callen Schnitzer.
 
The Knights kept Palmyra at bay despite a Herculean effort by the Panthers' four-year starting quarterback, Drew Erhart. The senior found the end zone twice on the ground in the first half - but despite throwing for more than 2,100 yards last season, Erhart couldn't find much rhythm through the air against the Knights' secondary.
 
Palmyra cut Lourdes' lead to 32-12 late in the second quarter, but Beccard reeled off two long touchdown runs on either side of the halftime intermission to balloon Lourdes' advantage to 48-12, eventually forcing a running clock in the fourth quarter.
 
Beccard has now accounted for 11 total touchdowns - including eight on the ground - through two games this season.
 
Lourdes Central Catholic (2-0) begins conference play next week with a home game against Johnson County Central, while Palmyra (0-2) looks for its first win at Elmwood-Murdock. Catch the LCC v. JCC game on Otoe County Country 1600AM/105.5FM from the campus of Peru State College.