MACKSVILLE — The Macksville High School football team advances after a 42-40 win over Ness City in the first round of the Eight-Man Division-I state playoffs on Tuesday night.
The Mustangs held a 30-18 lead at halftime, and traded blows in the third quarter to remain ahead.
Ness City scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come within two points of knocking off the undefeated Mustangs.
“All I can say is we survived,” Kuckelman said. “We didn’t make some conversions. There was one conversion where we had the first down and then fumbled the ball back behind the first down.
“There was an onside kick that they recovered that we should have jumped on.”
The Mustangs host Osborne, which is 9-1, on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Macksville’s offense found success in the air with quarterback Seth Filbert connecting with wide receiver Tanner Tranbarger for a pair of touchdowns and Adam Oak for a third passing touchdown.
Oak also scored on a 63-yard kick return and a 40-yard run.
Filbert found the end zone on a 13-yard scamper as well.

EIGHT-MAN DIVISION-I
STATE PLAYOFFS
At Macksville
Tuesday
Ness City                    12    6   8  14  —  40
Macksville                  16  14  12  0   —  42
First quarter
Ness City — Trevor Hawkins 28 pass from Koltyn Ratliff (run failed)
Ness City — Drew Clarke 2 pass from Colin Foos (run failed)
Macksville — Seth Filbert (Taylor Tranbarger pass from Filbert)
Macksville — Tanner Tranbarger 29 pass from Filbert (Tan. Tranbarger pass from Filert)
Second quarter
Macksville — Adam Oak 40 run (Tan. Tranbarger pass from Filbert)
Macksville — Oak 50 pass from Filbert (run failed)
Ness City — Dalton Gantz 1 run (pass failed)
Third quarter
Macksville — Tan. Tranbarger 62 pass from Filbert (run failed)
Ness City — Hawkins 4 pass from Foos (Gantz run)
Macksville — Oak 63 KO return (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
Ness City — Gantz 3 run (Ratliff run)
Ness City — Foos 1 run (run failed)