Oakland-Craig survives tough test at BRLD

The Oakland-Craig Knights overcame a tough start to knock off BRLD 28-16 on the road Friday night.

Hoss Smith rushed for 147 yards on 24 carries, and scored twice.

Evan Reinert was 6-15 passing for 80 yards.

Marcos Quintero made 11 tackles while Smith totaled 10.

Oakland-Craig racked up 293 yards of total offense, 213 coming on the ground.

The defense gave up 314 yards of offense, including 171 rushing.

Head Coach Joe Anderson says his team shot themselves in the foot early on. "Coming in we definitely were not overconfident by any ways, and we played a little bit tight I thought early in the game. And I think we put the ball on the ground 6 times and had 12 penalties. And credit BRLD, they went up and stepped up and made some big plays, but a lot of that was self inflicted too. Some things we have to clean up before this week."

The Knights scored the last 20 points of the game.

4-1 Oakland-Craig travels to Wisner Friday night to battle the 0-5 Wisner-Pilger Gators.

Anderson says his squad can't afford to take the Gators lightly. "You really can't overlook them. They've played like three or four rated teams that they lost to. And just from what I know Hartington CC is the number 3 team in the state, and they go right down on the field and score on them. Take a 7-0 lead. So offensively they're scary, I mean they have a really good quarterback. I think he's been starting about the last 3 years. And he's given us problems the last two years running the ball and with his arm."

The Knights won last year's game 54-12, and have won the last two meetings between the two schools.

Wisner-Pilger is coming off a 41-16 loss at Fremont Bergan last time out.

The Gators have been hit with the injury bug, and have had a difficult season so far, but don't count out Wisner-Pilger.

The Gators really have nothing to lose, and might as well play with reckless abandonment.

Oakland-Craig has to take care of the football. That has to be the number one priority.

The Knights can't fumble six times and expect to keep winning.

Oakland-Craig has to clean up their mistakes as soon as possible and play error free football from here on out if at all possible.

The Knights might be able to get away with fumbling against Wisner-Pilger, but Logan View and Bergan and other teams Oakland-Craig might see in the playoffs, could easily make the Knights pay for their mistakes.

This is an important game for Oakland-Craig, The Knights can't afford to slip up if they hope to win the district and make the playoffs.

The district is theirs to lose right now, in my opinion, but if Oakland-Craig loses a game to someone, then things become very interesting.

The Knights have to do everything in their power to take care of business against the Gators.

Oakland-Craig has to play a good game, and come away with an impressive win. It would be good for the Knights to roll in this game.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with pregame at 6:40 on 107.9 the Bull.

Wisner-Pilger falls at Fremont Bergan

The Wisner-Pilger Gators lost 41-16 at Fremont Bergan Friday night.

Head Coach Brent Bauer says an injury a day before the game hurt his team, and the Knights were a little more dynamic than they thought. "You know we had had a kid go down on the Thursday before the game, when our fullback went down. That kind of affected our game plan a little bit. But overall I thought we played hard. I think Fremont Bergan's athleticism caught us a litttle bit off guard."

0-5 Wisner-Pilger hosts 4-1 Oakland-Craig Friday night on 107.9 the Bull.

Bauer says his team is anxious to take on the Knights. "One thing that we noticed on film is Oakland-Craig always plays at just such an extreme level of toughness, and plays so hard and so fast, and that's kind of what they've always done. But we're excited about the matchup. And our senior class only has two more home games counting tomorrow night so it's amazing how fast things are going."

The Knights defeated BRLD 28-16 last time out, scoring the last 20 points of the game after trailing 16-8.

Oakland-Craig is a really good team, and the Gators have been decimated by injury, but Wisner-Pilger has to keep their spirits up and believe they can upset the Knights.

The Gators only have two more games left at home as Bauer said, so Wisner-Pilger has to make the most of them.

The Gators are going to have to get off to a fast start, and remain within striking distance throughout the game to have a chance, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger has to take care of the football, create turnovers, and win the field position battle.

The Gators have to capitalize on scoring opportunities on offense, and score touchdowns.

Wisner-Pilger's turnovers, if they do create any, need to turn into points as well.

The Gators need to have some things go their way in this game, but if the ball bounces their way, and Oakland-Craig has an off game, anything can happen.

Wisner-Pilger is going to need to slow down Hoss Smith. He has been the workhorse for the Knights all season long, and is a tough runner.

The Gators have to remain positive throughout the entire game. It may not be easy given the unfortunate breaks and luck Wisner-Pilger has had so far this season, but the Gators must remain resilient and not give up hope.

Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. with pregame at 6:40 on the Bull.

Scribner-Snyder loses at home to Fullerton

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans fell 41-6 at home to Fullerton Friday night.

The Warriors led 14-0 after one, and won the second quarter 13-6 to take a 27-6 lead into the locker room.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Fullerton shutout Scribner-Snyder 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

Gunner Palmer had 107 yards rushing on 22 carries. Jadyn Smeal added 54 yards on the ground on 15 attempts.

Josh McMillen totaled 11 tackles while Brandon Noel made 7.

The Trojans notched 222 yards of total offense, 216 coming on the ground.

The defense surrendered 352 yards of total offense, including 253 rushing.

Scribner-Snyder did a lot from a yardage standpoint on offense to hang with the Warriors, the Trojans just couldn't punch it in the end zone enough times.

Scribner-Snyder (1-4) hosts Humphrey St. Francis (4-0) Friday night.

The Flyers had the week off last week, but defeated Emerson-Hubbard 56-6 the week before.

The Trojans definitely have their work cut out for them, seeing as Humphrey St. Francis is the defending state champions and will have had an entire week to prepare for Scribner-Snyder.

The Trojans can't be scared of or intimidated by the Flyers though.

Scribner-Snyder has to capitalize on their solid rushing efforts, and punch the ball in the end zone.

The Trojans also need to be able to pass the ball effectively against Humphrey St. Francis.

Knocking off a perennial power is no small task, but Scribner-Snyder has to believe it can happen.

I think this team is still getting better every week although it didn't really show on the scoreboard last week.

The Trojans really struggled to score last week, and Scribner-Snyder hopes their fortunes change this week.

Palmer and Smeal need to go off for the Trojans, and have big games.

Scribner-Snyder also has to be stout defensively, and must create turnovers as well as take care of the ball to have a shot.

The Trojans have to convert on third and fourth down, and get off the field on those downs as well.

Scribner-Snyder has to be physical at the line of scrimmage, and open up big running lanes for Palmer and Smeal.

The Trojans are a young football team and a work in progress.

The season has dealt Scribner-Snyder a tough hand so far, but all the Trojans can do is remain positive and keep fighting.

Scribner-Snyder has to have a winning mindset against the Flyers. The Trojans can't go into the game thinking they have no chance, because then they really don't.

Scribner-Snyder has to do their best to win, and hope the outcome is in their favor.

Emerson-Hubbard wins at Wausa

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates evened up their record at 2-2, downing Wausa 55-36 on the road Friday night.

The Vikings led 6-0 at the end of one and won the second quarter 16-6 to take a 22-6 lead into the locker room.

The Pirates exploded in the third quarter, shutting out Wausa 30-0 to go up 36-22 at the end of three.

Emerson-Hubbard outscored the Vikings 19-14 in the fourth quarter.

Something must of been said in the locker room at halftime because the Pirates were a whole different team in the third quarter.

Emerson-Hubbard will move to 3-2 on the season as Winside is forfeiting Friday night's game.

It has to be frustrating for the Pirates not to get to play the game, but now Emerson-Hubbard has an extra week to prepare for Wynot, which is a good thing in a way.

I will preview the Wynot game in my next post.

Winnebago wins first game of year

The Winnebago Indians picked up their first win of the season Friday night, winning 92-66 at Omaha Christian Academy.

The Indians gave up 585 yards of total offense, including 368 through the air.

It had to be a really good feeling for Winnebago to pick up that first win despite the amount of yards they gave up.

The Indians (1-3) are at Pender (2-2) Friday night.

The Pendragons won 60-8 at Homer in their last game, and have been on a terror their last couple of games.

Pender beat Wakefield 46-22 and the Trojans downed Winnebago 91-42 if that tells you anything.

I feel the Indians are a better team now than they were when they played Wakefield, but I would say the Pendragons are getting better every week as well.

Winnebago has a difficult challenge on their hands without a doubt, but the Indians have to have the confidence necessary to score a lot of points and slow down Pender's offense.

Winnebago has to key on Dylan Roth and James Bensen. If the Indians can slow those two down, they could have a chance to make things close and win.

Much easier said than done though as Roth and Bensen are really good players.

Winnebago has to play with swagger, and a belief that they can win Friday night.

It's never easy winning on the road, but the Indians have to go into this game feeling good and optimistic about their chances.

I think winning last week is definitely going to help Winnebago's confidence and chances of winning this week than if they had lost.

The Indians have to fight and play hard, and do what they can to be competitive and win.

Winnebago has to give it their all for 48 minutes, and see what happens.

The Indians are probably going to need to strike early and often in this game to have a shot.

Winnebago's offense is most likely going to need to carry the team, especially if the defense is having another tough night.

Pender rolls Homer

The Pender Pendragons picked up a 60-8 win at Homer Friday night.

Pender led 22-0 at the end of one and outscored the Knights 14-0 in the second quarter to lead 36-0 at halftime.

The Pendragons won the third quarter 12-0 to go up 48-0 at the end of three.

Pender put up 12 fourth quarter points compared to 8 for Homer.

Dylan Roth was 5-11 passing for 153 yards with 4 touchdowns and an interception.

Brady Oliver hauled in 2 touchdown passes for a total of 70 yards while James Bensen brought in a 56-yard TD pass.

Bensen had 120 yards rushing on 9 carries, including a score. Braden Peters rushed the ball 3 times for 52 yards, and scored once.

The Pendragons totaled 381 yards of offense, 228 coming on the ground.

The defense allowed just 138 yards of offense, including 136 rushing.

Pender played a great game against the Knights, in my opinion. This was a really nice win for the Pendragons.

Pender (2-2) hosts Winnebago (1-3) Friday night.

The Indians won 92-66 at Omaha Christian Academy last time out.

That was a nice win for Winnebago, but the Pendragons should still be able to knock off the Indians.

Wakefield beat Winnebago 91-42 while Pender defeated the Trojans 46-22 if that tells you anything.

I really like the way this Pendragons' team is playing right now.

The bye week appears to have come at the right time for Pender because the Pendragons have played better football the last two weeks than they did the first two weeks of the regular season.

There's still plenty of football left to be played, but this team appears to be headed in the right direction.

I look for Pender to put up a lot of points against Winnebago and keep the Indians' offense at bay.

I think Roth and Bensen will have good games for the Pendragons, and lead this team to victory.

Pender has their sights set on a district championship I'm sure, so win this game, and it's another positive step in the right direction.

I just don't see any way the Pendragons lose this game unless a lot of their players get hurt and the Indians play out of their minds.

Pender has to be focused and determined, and must respect Winnebago though. The Indians aren't just going to roll over and give the Pendragons the game.

Pender has to come out and play their physical brand of football.

The Pendragons must excel in the run and pass game, and be clicking on all cylinders.

Pender also has to do everything they can to win the field position battle.

Howells-Dodge falls at Neligh-Oakdale

The Howells-Dodge Jaguars lost 47-36 at Neligh-Oakdale Friday night.

The Warriors led 16-12 after one before the Jaguars won the second quarter 12-11 to make it a 27-24 game at halftime.

Howells-Dodge blanked Neligh-Oakdale 6-0 in the third quarter to go up 30-27 at the end of three.

The Warriors outscored the Jaguars 20-6 in the fourth quarter.

Dax VanLengen was 12-26 passing for 215 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Jordan Brichacek made 8 receptions for 183 yards, and scored once.

Dylan Horejsi ran for 86 yards on 16 carries, and scored twice.

Kade Hegemann and Connor Blum made 12 tackles each for Howells-Dodge. Brichacek had 8 while Ely Hendrickson made 7.

The Jaguars had 326 yards of total offense, including 215 passing.

The defense gave up 497 yards of offense, 254 of that passing.

Howells-Dodge certainly had their struggles defensively, but I thought the Jaguars played a good game on offense and as a whole.

Howells-Dodge (2-2) is at Elgin Public/Pope John (0-5) Friday night.

The Wolfpack lost 46-8 at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family last time out.

This should be an easy win for the Jaguars with the clock continuously running in the second half perhaps.

Howells-Dodge played well for the most part against Neligh-Oakdale, and I just don't see the Jaguars having a letdown against Elgin Public/Pope John.

VanLengen has to have a solid game passing the ball like he did against the Warriors, and Horejsi needs to have a good game running the ball as well.

Howells-Dodge can't afford to take the Wolfpack lightly, and I don't think they will.

I think the Jaguars have what it takes to win their last four regular season games.

Howells-Dodge has Elgin Public/Pope John, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Homer, and Clarkson/Leigh left.

I feel the Jaguars are very capable of winning all four of those games, and finishing the regular season 6-2.

I don't want to get too ahead of myself though so first things first, Howells-Dodge has to take care of business against the Wolfpack.

The Jaguars have to come out and lay the smackdown against Elgin Public/Pope John.

Howells-Dodge has to come out and dominate from start to finish, and leave no doubt.

The Jaguars have to simply take care of business, and win in the fashion they are capable of.

Howells-Dodge has to play a complete, four quarter game, and get a lot of players playing time.

Clarkson/Leigh loses at East Butler

The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots lost their second game of the season Friday night, falling 56-39 at East Butler.

Clarkson/Leigh led 12-0 after one and won the second quarter 13-12 to take a 25-12 lead into the locker room.

The Tigers outscored the Patriots 20-14 in the third quarter to make it a 39-32 game at the end of three.

East Butler shutout Clarkson/Leigh 24-0 in the fourth quarter, scoring the game's final 31 points.

Anthony Bruhn was 7-19 passing with 178 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Bradley Bunner brought in three passes for 96 yards, and scored twice. Hector Mendoza hauled in 3 passes for 64 yards. 

Bunner ran the ball 20 times for 161 yards, and scored twice.

Bunner finished with 12 tackles while Bruhn, Paxten Indra, and Jacob Gall made 8 apiece. Blake Paprocki totaled 7.

The Patriots amassed 409 yards of total offense, 212 coming on the ground.

The defense gave up 518 yards of total offense, including 423 rushing.

Clarkson/Leigh simply let one get away Friday night. The Patriots had the Tigers on the ropes, but couldn't put them away.

Clarkson/Leigh (2-2) hosts Neligh-Oakdale (4-0) Friday night.

The Warriors beat Howells-Dodge 47-36 at home last time out.

Neligh-Oakdale is a very good team, although they are ineligible for the playoffs.

The Patriots have to come out and take their frustrations from losing to East Butler out on the Warriors.

Clarkson/Leigh is a good team, but their defense, run defense in particular, has to step up.

The Patriots can't expect to win giving up over 400 yards rushing.

Clarkson/Leigh is a great offensive team, but the defense hasn't been as good as the Patriots were hoping for I'm sure.

The good news for Clarkson/Leigh is they have some weapons in Bunner, Bruhn, and Mendoza.

I don't think offense will be an issue for the Patriots. I look for Clarkson/Leigh to put up quite a few points against Neligh-Oakdale.

It will just be really interesting to see if the Patriots can slow down the Warriors.

I feel like Neligh-Oakdale is the best team Clarkson/Leigh will have faced so far this season.

The Patriots are going to have to bring it because you can bet the Warriors will bring their best.

This is a really tough game for Clarkson/Leigh, there's no denying it.

The Patriots no doubt would have liked to have been coming into this game off a win and not a loss, but Clarkson/Leigh has been hit with some adversity, and simply has to overcome it.

The Patriots have to give Neligh-Oakdale everything they've got Friday night, and do everything in their power to win.

Stanton edged at Lutheran High Northeast

The Stanton Mustangs dropped their first game of the season on Friday, falling 26-25 at Lutheran High Northeast.

Hunter Stallbaum was 5-9 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Myles Nickolite hauled in 2 passes for 123 yards, both going for touchdowns.

Stanton had 214 yards of total offense, 199 coming through the air.

It's great the Mustangs were able to throw the ball with such high efficiency, but I thought Stanton's inability to run the football was the difference in the game.

The Mustangs (4-1) are at Crofton (4-1) Friday night.

The Warriors won 28-6 at Ponca last time out, and appear to be a pretty salty team.

This is a huge game for both teams, but especially Stanton, as far as the district is concerned.

The Mustangs aren't necessarily out of the race with two losses, but Stanton would need some help to win the district title.

So with that said, I would pretty much say this is a must win for the Mustangs.

Stanton's back is against the wall. The Mustangs are 0-1 in district play, and are on the road against a really difficult opponent.

Stanton has to dig deep and find some will and strength from within to rise above the tough loss last week, and find a way to get the job done this week.

Win and you're right back in the thick of the district race if you are the Mustangs.

There's a long way to go and a lot of season left so Stanton has to keep their heads up and remain positive.

One loss is nothing to get all discombobulated about, but the Mustangs don't want to lose two games in a row, especially considering it's now district play.

Stanton has to run the ball against Crofton if they want to win. That's going to be key, in my opinion.

The Mustangs have to be balanced on both sides of the ball, and be disciplined on offense and defense.

Stanton can't commit silly penalties and make life easy for the Warriors. The Mustangs have to win the turnover battle, and force Crofton into making mistakes.

This is a really big game with a lot on the line. These are the types of games you play and live for if you are a high school football player.

Logan View knocks off Tekamah-Herman

The Logan View Football team downed Tekamah-Herman 33-14 at home Friday night.

The Raiders led 6-0 at the end of one and won the second quarter 6-0 to lead 12-0 at halftime.

Tekamah-Herman went up 14-12 in the third quarter before Logan View scored a touchdown to go up 18-14 at the end of three.

The Raiders blanked the Tigers 15-0 in the fourth quarter.

Brady Hull led the Raiders' rushing attack with 135 yards on 17 carries, including three touchdowns. Jacob Polk added 105 yards on 16 carries, and scored once.

Armando Valencia totaled 8 tackles while Brady and Brett Hull made 7 apiece.

Logan View had 340 yards of total offense, including 313 rushing.

The defense surrendered 172 yards of total offense, 110 coming on the ground.

Head Coach Dustin Sealey. "We started off real well, and then we kind of were flat there for really about two quarters it seemed like. We just couldn't get anything going. We weren't getting off the ball up front. And they kind of stopped our outside running attack. And then we kind of got things together and started hitting some things inside off that motion, and things started working out."

Logan View improves to 2-3 on the season and hosts Fremont Bergan (2-3) on Friday.

The Knights topped Wisner-Pilger 41-16 at home Friday night.

A lot of people have been saying Bergan is having a down year, and in a lot of ways they are, but the Knights can never be counted out of any game.

With that said, I'm sure the Raiders will be very fired up and motivated to beat Bergan after what happened last year.

If memory serves me correct, Logan View held a lead in last year's game before losing 19-18.

That game and the Omaha Brownell-Talbot game the week before pretty much cost Logan View any chance at making the playoffs a season ago.

Logan View comes into this game facing a similar situation in that they probably need to win out to make the playoffs.

This coming Friday's game and next week at Oakland-Craig is pretty much going to decide the Raiders' fate.

These are the two biggest games of the season for Logan View, and the Raiders have to step up and perform well.

Logan View has to run the ball the way they did against Tekamah-Herman.

If the Raiders can run for over 300 yards again they should give themselves a good chance to win.

Perhaps bigger than the run game though is taking care of the football.

Turnovers normally hurt a team quite a bit, and Logan View can't really afford to lose the turnover battle against the Knights.

I think the Raiders need to have some semblance of a passing game as well, but again, the run game and taking care of the ball is going to be more important, in my opinion.

If Logan View can run and take care of the ball they should be in good shape and have a good chance to win the game.

This is a big game for the Raiders. One I'm sure Logan View would love to get to bolster their program.

Tekamah-Herman falls at Logan View

Tekamah-Herman fell 33-14 at Logan View Friday night.

The Raiders led 6-0 at the end of one and won the second quarter 6-0 to lead 12-0 at halftime.

Tekamah-Herman went up 14-12 in the third quarter before Logan View scored a touchdown to go up 18-14 at the end of three.

The Raiders blanked the Tigers 15-0 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were led in rushing by quarterback Cody Hopkins, who had 79 yards on 6 carries, including two scores.

Hopkins was 5-17 passing for 62 yards.

He added 10 tackles.

Tekamah-Herman had 172 yards of total offense, 110 coming on the ground.

Logan View amassed 340 yards of total offense, including 313 rushing.

Head Coach Greg McElmuray says his team is still trying to find an offensive identity. "One of the reasons for that is because we're struggling to replace some young men that graduated last year at offensive line. We're playing two sophomores on the right side of the offensive line, a junior, another junior, and a senior. And then midway through the game we ended up having to replace some of those kids with more juniors and sophomores. And a senior girl in her first year out. That last series we had there we ended up having Sarah Stang in for us, who came out this year for football. She's doing a wonderful job for us."

McElmuray says they're struggling with injuries and the loss of several players due to graduation last year. "We lost about 7 kids. Two with concussions, one with a high ankle sprain, and another one with probably a broken hand. Luke Green, Ben Metzler both are out probably for a good couple weeks."

Tekamah-Herman falls to 1-4 on the year and plays host to BRLD (1-4) on Friday.

The Wolverines lost 28-16 at home to Oakland-Craig last time out.

The Tigers have to do everything in their power to try and slow down Montana Riecken and Jacob Zuhlke.

Those two accounted for 259 of BRLD's 314 yards of offense against the Knights.

Tekamah-Herman has to be tough and physical up front, and has to stop the run.

The Wolverines are probably just as physical if not more physical than the Raiders, so the Tigers have to slow down the run game if they hope to knock off BRLD.

Hopkins has to go off for Tekamah-Herman as well.

He has to kind of shoulder the load for the Tigers now so to speak with Metzler and Green out.

You can bet the Wolverines will shadow and put a spy on him the entire game.

That's when someone else has to step up and perform well for Tekamah-Herman.

Football isn't a one man game. It takes an entire team to win.

The Tigers are somewhat beat up right now, but Tekamah-Herman has to be thinking next man or next woman up.

The Tigers have to step up their game in order to knock off the Wolverines, in my opinion.

Tekamah-Herman is definitely capable of beating BRLD, especially with the game being in Tekamah, but the Tigers have to play a complete and clean game for four quarters.

Tekamah-Herman put it all together for four quarters against Omaha Brownell-Talbot so the Tigers need to revert back to what they did in that game and do it again against the Wolverines.

Tekamah-Herman still has a shot at winning this district if they can win out. The season is pretty much on the line for the Tigers Friday night, and that has to show in their play.

Tekamah-Herman needs to click on all cylinders Friday night to have a shot to win.

Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur loses to Oakland-Craig

The Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Wolverines gave Oakland-Craig a scare and a run for their money Friday night before losing 28-16 at home.

Jacob Zuhlke rushed for 150 yards on 30 carries, and scored once. Montana Riecken was 7-11 passing for 109 yards with a touchdown.

Jon Christiansen hauled in 4 passes for 52 yards.

Bren Shatto made 10 tackles while Will Gatzemeyer totaled 9. Tyler Kroger added 8 while Riecken and Christiansen notched 7 apiece.

BRLD had 314 yards of total offense, 171 coming on the ground. The Knights totaled 293 yards of offense, rushing for 213.

The Wolverines played the Knights real tough. BRLD definitely kept things respectable.

The Wolverines (1-4) are at Tekamah-Herman (1-4) Friday night.

The Tigers lost 33-14 at Logan View last time out.

Tekamah-Herman is pretty banged up at the moment. The Tigers will be without the services of Luke Green and Ben Metzler.

BRLD has to focus on slowing down Tekamah-Herman quarterback Cody Hopkins.

He kind of runs the show for the Tigers.

This is a big, important district game for the Wolverines.

Both teams are currently on the outside looking in as far as the district race is concerned, but a loss in this game just about eliminates the loser from district championship consideration.

BRLD is at a disadvantage in that they need to win out and hope Oakland-Craig loses twice.

There's still a ton to play for for the Wolverines though, and this year is really about building the program and competing at a high level.

I think BRLD has a chance to win out and end the regular season 5-4. Whether or not that's good enough to qualify the Wolverines for the playoffs remains to be seen, but BRLD has already proven to be a tough, quality team.

If the Wolverines play the way they did against the Knights, I don't see them losing to Tekamah-Herman, especially given all the Tigers' problems with injuries.

BRLD has to play with a sense of urgency, pride, passion, fire, toughness, grit, and tenacity.

The Wolverines really are fighting for their playoff lives, and their play has to reflect that.

BRLD has to be the aggressor and more physical team up front.

The Wolverines have to run the ball smashmouth style, and force Tekamah-Herman to stop it.

BRLD also has to have a semblance of a passing game too, just like they did last week against Oakland-Craig.

If the Wolverines play like they did against the Knights, they should come away with a win this time around.

West Point-Beemer falls at O'Neill

The West Point-Beemer Cadets fell 43-7 at O'Neill Thursday night.

The Eagles led 14-0 at the end of one before both teams scored 7 second quarter points to make it a 21-7 game at halftime in favor of O'Neill.

The Eagles blanked the Cadets 14-0 in the third quarter to lead 35-7 after three.

O'Neill won the fourth quarter 8-0.

Cole Hughes was 9-13 passing for 150 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ben Vander Griend caught 5 passes for 69 yards while Kade Hughes brought in 2 passes for 58 yards, and scored once.

Riley Berg ran for 68 yards on 14 carries.

Dylan James notched 9 tackles while Kade Hughes and Jackson Hoffman registered 8 and 7, respectively.

West Point-Beemer racked up 248 yards of total offense, including 151 through the air.

The defense gave up 435 yards of total offense, including 227 passing.

The Eagles are a really good football team. I think that shows in the way they were balanced offensively. The Cadets hung with O'Neill for a half, West Point-Beemer just couldn't put it all together for four quarters.

The Cadets (3-2) host Madison (0-4) Friday night.

The Dragons lost 49-7 at Wayne last time out.

Madison has played a tough schedule so far this season even though they have struggled.

The Dragons have had a tough season so far, but you can bet they will come to play against West Point-Beemer.

The Cadets should have no troubles winning, but West Point-Beemer can't come into this game thinking they have it in the bag, because when you do that, often times you get beat.

I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I think the Cadets have a shot to win their next three games.

If West Point-Beemer can get back to playing the way they did before the O'Neill loss, they should be in good shape for the next three weeks at least.

The Cadets have to take care of business and be impressive against Madison.

No game is a sure win, so West Point-Beemer has to come out and take the fight to the Dragons from the start.

Berg has to pound the rock the way he is capable of and Cole Hughes has to have a game similar to what he had against the Eagles.

In other words, the Cadets need a big game offensively.

West Point-Beemer has been a strong defensive team this season, now it's just a matter of getting their offense going.

I look for the Cadets to have their best offensive output in this game, giving them the confidence they need to beat Wayne and Pierce.

West Point-Beemer has to keep getting better, and I look for this game against Madison to be the Cadets' best performance to date.

North Bend Central shutout the Dragons 35-0 so I don't see why West Point-Beemer can't do something similar.

North Bend Central knocks off Madison

The North Bend Central Tigers blanked Madison 35-0 at home last Friday night.

The Tigers outscored the Dragons 15-0 in the first quarter, and blanked Madison 13-0 in the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room.

North Bend Central won the third quarter 7-0 to lead 35-0 at the end of three. Neither team scored in the 4th quarter.

Joel Hines had 187 yards rushing on 11 carries, including two touchdowns.

Brock Ray racked up 9 tackles while Dawson Poessnecker and Schadrick Westerman had 8 and 7, respectively.

The Tigers notched 247 yards of total offense, including 237 rushing. The Dragons had 209 yards of total offense.

Head Coach Ryan Stieren says it was a great night to be a Tiger. "We played our best game of the year thus far. It was great for our defense to get a shutout, they have played well all year. I feel we progressed offensively as well and our special teams scored a touchdown. Very happy for our kids and all involved in our program."

North Bend Central (3-1) is at Wahoo (5-0) Friday night.

The Warriors won 42-8 at David City last time out.

It's the start of district play for the Tigers, and the next three games for North Bend Central are going to be as tough as it gets.

The Tigers face Wahoo, David City Aquinas, and Bishop Neumann the next three weeks...yikes.

With that said, North Bend Central has made some great strides this season, and should feel good about what they have done.

The Tigers will have had two weeks to prepare for the Warriors once Friday rolls around so that should help North Bend Central.

I think the Tigers are better suited to compete with these three powers than in the past.

North Bend Central has to give the Warriors everything they've got and then some.

The Tigers have to play optimistic football from here on out, just like they have all season.

Things really came together for North Bend Central in the Madison game, and I look for the Tigers' efforts in that game to carry over to Friday night.

Wahoo beat Norfolk Catholic, but hasn't really played anyone otherwise.

I think North Bend Central has what it takes to surprise some people and challenge and give the Warriors a run for their money.

I don't know if the Tigers are going to beat Wahoo, but North Bend Central has to believe they can get the job done.

Things have gone pretty well for the Tigers up to this point, and I look for North Bend Central to give the Warriors their best shot and everything they've got Friday night.

I think the game will at least be closer than some of the other games have been in the past.

I could very easily see the Tigers playing Wahoo within 2-3 touchdowns. I don't think North Bend Central is going to lose by 40 or 50 like the past couple of years.

Logan View loses at Stanton

The Logan View Raiders fell 42-13 at Stanton Friday night.

The game was tied at 7 at the end of one. The Mustangs shutout the Raiders 14-0 in the second quarter to go up 21-7 at halftime.

Stanton blanked Logan View 14-0 in the third quarter to lead 35-7 at the end of one.

The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 7-6.

Brady Hull rushed for 108 yards on 11 carries, and scored once. Jacob Polk had 82 yards on the ground on 20 carries. Polk was 6-13 passing for 50 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Nathan Taylor made 8 tackles while Hull totaled 7.

The Raiders amassed 244 yards of offense, including 194 rushing.

The defense gave up 422 yards, 328 coming on the ground.

Head Coach Dustin Sealey says turnovers really hurt his team against the Mustangs. "We did what good teams don't do, and that's turn the ball over. We had a bad snap on a punt and then we fumbled the ball on third down in the middle of the third quarter when we were on the 20-yard line going into score, and that would of made it 28-21, and so that fumble there kind of killed us."

Logan View (1-3) hosts Tekamah-Herman (1-3) Friday night.

The Tigers lost 41-0 at home to Doniphan-Trumbull last time out.

Sealey says his squad has to slow down Tekamah-Herman quarterback Cody Hopkins. "The thing that pops in my mind is their quarterback. He's a good player, he likes to run the option. And really that's our goal on defense is to stop him, stop the option game, their inside run game."

Hopkins had just 17 yards passing and 22 yards rushing against the Cardinals so you can bet the Raiders have been studying the game film and taking a page or two out of Doniphan-Trumbull's playbook to try and slow him down.

I think the run game will be really big in this game. Both teams run the ball well, and pass the ball okay.

Logan View's offense was better than Tekamah-Herman's last week, but both offenses are about even for the season overall, in my opinion.

The Tigers are apparently going to get back to doing what they did in their season opening win so it will be interesting to see if they can get their offense going against the Raiders.

I look for this game to be close, I really do.

I think both teams are evenly matched, and feel the game could go either way.

I feel the game is going to come down to turnovers and defense.

Whichever defense makes the most plays and creates the most turnovers will most likely be in the best shape at the end of the game.

The Raiders are at home, and I feel that's an advantage for them, but Logan View hasn't been in a close game for four quarters yet this year, whereas Tekamah-Herman won in overtime the first week of the season.

The Raiders won last year's contest 60-6.

Kickoff between the Tigers and Raiders is set for 6:30 p.m. at Logan View with pregame at 6:10 on 107.9 the Bull.

Tekamah-Herman falls at home to Doniphan-Trumbull

The Tekamah-Herman Tigers lost 41-0 at home to Doniphan-Trumbull Friday night.

The Cardinals led 14-0 at the end of one and shutout the Tigers 14-0 in the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room.

Doniphan-Trumbull won the third quarter 13-0 to lead 41-0 at the end of three. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Luke Green had 57 yards rushing on 15 carries for Tekamah-Herman.

Ben Metzler finished with 8 tackles.

The Tigers had 118 yards of total offense, including 101 on the ground.

The defense surrendered 468 yards of offense, 282 coming on the ground.

Tekamah-Herman really struggled on both sides of the ball, but the Cardinals are a really good team.

Tekamah-Herman (1-3) is at Logan View (1-3) Friday night.

This is a battle between two teams who won their season opener, but have lost three in a row.

Head Coach Graig McElmuray says his team will look to get back to doing what worked in the season opening win. "We changed some stuff up because we faced some spread teams. And this next week we're going to get back to what we do well. And how we do things in that first game. And we're really going to get back after it. And be the team that we want to be instead of trying to let people dictate to us what we need to do. We're going to go out and play defense and dictate to them what they need to do on offense."

The Raiders lost 42-13 at Stanton last time out.

That's a game in which turnovers proved to be costly for Logan View.

Both teams have faced some pretty stiff competition since their opening season wins so it's a game of something's gotta give.

This is a pivotal district matchup for both teams with district play beginning this week.

McElmuray feels their district is up for grabs. "We have 5 games here at the end of the season, and right now our district is wide open. If you're going to take a look, Oakland-Craig is out the drivers' seat right now at 3-1 I do believe. And everybody else is down at 1-3 or 0-4 or something like that."


I would say the district is Oakland-Craig's to lose at this point, but if the Knights were to slip up against someone, then things become really interesting.

This game is really important for both teams. The winner will be in a fairly good position to make a run at the district crown while the loser will need to win out and hope for some help.


The Raiders won last year's contest 60-6.

Kickoff between the Tigers and Raiders is set for 6:30 p.m. at Logan View with pregame at 6:10 on 107.9 the Bull.

Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur wins first game of season

The Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Wolverines won their first game of the season Friday night, downing Omaha Brownell-Talbot 40-7 on the road.

Montana Riecken ran for 196 yards on 16 carries, and scored four times. Jacob Zuhlke added 143 yards rushing on 31 attempts, and scored once.

Jon Christiansen made 7 tackles to lead the Wolverines.

BRLD totaled 465 yards of offense, including 426 on the ground.

This was a great breakthrough win for the Wolverines. BRLD really played well, and ran the ball with authority.

The Wolverines (1-3) host Oakland-Craig (3-1) Friday night.

The Knights defeated Ponca 29-7 at home in their last game.

The biggest thing for BRLD, in my opinion, will be slowing down Oakland-Craig's run game.

Both Hoss and Ben Smith went for over 150 yards against the Indians, and the Wolverines can't let history repeat itself if they want to win.

The best bet for BRLD, in my opinion, is to slow down the Knights' run game, and force Oakland-Craig to beat them with Evan Reinert's arm.

Reinert has been very solid this season as a whole, but was 0-6 with two interceptions against Ponca.

The Wolverines ran for a lot of yards against the Raiders, and I think they're going to need to run the football well against the Knights as well to have a chance.

Oakland-Craig might be better than Hartington Cedar Catholic, and is better than Crofton and Ponca.

I think the Knights are the toughest team BRLD will have faced so far this season.

The Wolverines are going to have to bring their lunch pail, and be ready to play a physical brand of football against Oakland-Craig.

BRLD has to be very physical up front on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Riecken has to go off for BRLD, and Zuhlke needs to have another fine outing as well.

If the Wolverines can get those two over 100 yards again, BRLD could be in good shape.

With that said, I think the Wolverines are going to need to throw the ball in this game if they hope to make some real headway.

I don't think BRLD can win without having a pass game. The Wolverines need to be able to run and throw the ball to win, in my opinion.

Oakland-Craig is the odds on favorite to win the district, but a win by BRLD would really shake things up and make things wide open as far as the district race goes.

Oakland-Craig downs Ponca

The Oakland-Craig Knights topped Ponca 29-7 at home Friday night.

Hoss Smith had 163 yards rushing on 24 carries, including a touchdown, while Ben Smith rushed for 156 yards on 12 attempts, and scored twice.

Marcos Quintero and Josh Dixon totaled 11 tackles apiece while Hoss Smith registered 7.

Oakland-Craig had 355 yards of total offense, all on the ground.

I thought the Knights played a real good game against the Indians. Oakland-Craig ran the ball real well, and had two ball carriers over 150 yards, which made the biggest difference, in my opinion.

The Knights (3-1) are at Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur (1-3) Friday night.

The Wolverines topped Omaha Brownell-Talbot 40-7 last time out.

BRLD is getting better each week as each of their first three losses were by closer margins from game to game.

The Wolverines are still probably trying to learn the ropes of playing 11 man football, but BRLD has no doubt figured some things out by now.

Oakland-Craig needs to be ready to play just like they were against Ponca.

The Wolverines lost to the Indians 43-36 so the Knights should beat BRLD based on that score, but you can never count out the Wolverines.

Montana Riecken is as solid as they come and Oakland-Craig has to do everything in their power to slow him down.

Both Hoss and Ben Smith have to get things going in the run game for the Knights, and Oakland-Craig has to get their pass game going with Evan Reinert.

Reinert was 0-6 passing with two interceptions last week so that needs to change for the Knights if they are to be successful down the line.

The good news for Oakland-Craig is when either the run or passing game has been off, the other has been on.

That's a sign of a good football team seeing as the Knights are capable of winning in multiple ways.

I think Oakland-Craig needs to really challenge BRLD up front, and be committed to running the football.

I believe this game will be won on the legs of Hoss and Ben Smith, just like last week's game was.

Reinert needs to have a solid game throwing too, but the run game is the Knights' bread and butter. Running the ball has to be a big priority for Oakland-Craig.

The Knights figure to have a really good shot at taking home another district title. The quest to do so begins Friday night against the Wolverines.

Stanton tops Logan View

The Stanton Mustangs downed Logan View at home Friday night, 42-13.

The game was tied at 7 at the end of one. The Mustangs shutout the Raiders 14-0 in the second quarter to go up 21-7 at halftime.

Stanton blanked Logan View 14-0 in the third quarter to lead 35-7 at the end of one.

The Mustangs won the fourth quarter 7-6.

Trey Erbst had 8 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown. Mason King ran the ball 6 times for 81 yards. Myles Nickolite carried the rock 9 times for 54 yards, and scored three times.

Hunter Stallbaum was 4-9 passing for 94 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Nickolite hauled in 2 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Stanton racked up 422 yards of total offense, 328 coming on the ground.

The defense gave up 244 yards, including 194 in the run game.

The Mustangs played well in the middle quarters I thought. Those quarters were the difference in the game there's no doubt about it.

Stanton (4-0) is at Lutheran High Northeast (3-1) Friday night.

The Eagles downed Lincoln Lutheran 34-0 on the road last time out.

Cross County beat Lutheran High Northeast 35-13 in the season opener while the Mustangs downed the Cougars 20-6 a couple of weeks ago.

Stanton should be able to take care of the Eagles, but this could be a stingy test for the Mustangs.

I think Lutheran High Northeast is a team that is on the rise and is only getting better. I think Stanton could have their hands full Friday night.

I look for the Mustangs to win, but I feel the Eagles are a dangerous and real threat to Stanton.

The Mustangs have to be on top of their game and must play four quarters of football.

I don't know if the Mustangs can get away with being even with Lutheran High Northeast for a couple of quarters.

Erbst and Stallbaum need to spearhead the rushing and passing games of Stanton if the Mustangs are to beat the Eagles.

Stanton has to put forth their best effort of the season.

It's the start of district play, and the Mustangs know every game counts seeing as they got left out of the playoffs last year.

I'm sure Stanton doesn't want that happening again so this is step one towards winning a district title and reaching the postseason.

I look for the Mustangs to be very focused and determined in an effort to win their first district game, and put themselves in a position to go after the district title.

This is a loaded district so we will find out how good Stanton really is. I think the Mustangs have what it takes to win it, but Stanton can't slip up and falter against the Eagles if they want to win it.

The district winner could have a district loss or two, but it would be awfully tough for the Mustangs to win all or the majority of the rest of their games if they lose to LHNE, in my opinion.

Wisner-Pilger loses to Hartington Cedar Catholic

The Wisner-Pilger Gators suffered another tough loss Friday night, falling 47-22 at Hartington Cedar Catholic.

The Trojans are the real deal, but I'm sure the Gators feel they could have performed better on both sides of the ball.

Wisner-Pilger (0-4) is at Fremont Bergan (1-3) Friday night.

The Knights lost 48-13 at Battle Creek last time out.

The Gators have to view this game as a game they have a chance to win.

Fremont Bergan appears to be down compared to years past, and now is a good time to get the Knights.

It would be a big deal for Wisner-Pilger to knock off a program like Bergan's I'm sure.

The Knights are known for excellence, and if the Gators can knock off a program the caliber of Bergan, it would be a real feel good win for Wisner-Pilger without a doubt.

The Gators have gotten off to a real tough start, but district play begins this week, and if Wisner-Pilger wins out, they are in the playoffs.

Friday night's game against the Knights is a must win if the Gators hope to extend their season.

If Wisner-Pilger loses, the playoffs will most likely not be an option.

The Gators have to hang around and keep things close, and play with a lead, or at the very least, play from behind a possession at the most.

It's time for Wisner-Pilger to win and get the job done. The Gators came close to beating West Point-Beemer, and need to get the job done this time around.

I don't think Fremont Bergan is nearly as good as Crofton, Stanton, or Hartington Cedar Catholic.

Wisner-Pilger can't be scared of or intimidated by the Knights.

The Gators have to get psyched, amped, and fired up for this game.

Wisner-Pilger's season is on the line, and the Gators will be fighting for their playoff lives.

Wisner-Pilger's play must reflect that.

The Gators have to throw the kitchen sink at the Knights and give it all they got.

GACC holds off Nebraska City Lourdes

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays held off Nebraska City Lourdes Friday night, winning 22-16 at home.

Nolan Plagge was 11-23 for 177 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Plagge added 87 yards rushing on 20 carries.

Andrew Guenther brought in 5 passes for 89 yards while Cole Kreikemeier made 4 catches for 78 yards and scored twice.

Connor Klitz made 20 tackles while Guenther and Plagge notched 8 and 7, respectively.

The Bluejays racked up 325 yards of offense, 177 coming through the air.

This was a close call for GACC, but credit the Bluejays for making plays when they needed to and hanging on.

Head Coach Dave Ridder says it was a tough game. "Don't know all their names, but number 5 was a excellent athlete. They had some very good sized linemen. We were quite frankly oversized. We had to grind out some things, and Nolan Plagge did an excellent job of keeping on his feet and finding some open receivers. A lot of credit to them, I think they outplayed us and outcoached us at times. And the kids hung in there and made some key turnovers when they needed to."

Ridder says the defense took over the second half. "We did some adjustments at halftime. And we needed to shutdown the quarterback and their run on a nice trap play that we couldn't quite figure out how to stop. And then the second half we were able to stop them, we kind of shut that down. But then that kid's got a great arm, and we knew we couldn't give him much time."

GACC (4-0) is at Omaha Nation (1-3) Friday night.

The Chiefs lost 56-14 at Clarkson/Leigh last time out.

Based on that score, the Bluejays should be able to blowout Omaha Nation.

GACC doesn't really have that tough of a schedule the rest of the way with their only real challenging game left against Pender.

The Bluejays should be able to win their next three games rather easily perhaps setting up a district title showdown with the Pendragons to end the regular season.

I'm sure GACC would rather play a tougher schedule to prepare themselves for a deeper playoff run, but the state has given the Bluejays an easy slate.

The good thing about that is GACC can still go 8-0 and win another district title.

This team has accomplished quite a bit this season and has a lot to accomplish yet.

With the bye week coming next week, the biggest thing for the Bluejays is to remain healthy and fresh.

This game against Omaha Nation is one where GACC needs to build an insurmountable lead and rest their starters.

The Bluejays need to get as many players in as possible so the younger players can gain experience for the future.

GACC has to have a business like attitude and be focused. The Bluejays can't look past Omaha Nation, or anyone for that matter.

GACC has to roll and leave no doubt Friday night.

It has to be a complete game performance from the Bluejays.

Pender picks up first win of season over Wakefield

The Pender Pendragons won their first game of the season Friday night, 46-22 at home against Wakefield.

The Trojans led 8-6 after one before Pender doubled up Wakefield 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 22-16 lead into the locker room.

The Pendragons won the third quarter 8-0 to go up 30-16 at the end of three.

Pender outscored Wakefield 16-6 in the fourth quarter.

Dylan Roth was 13-19 passing for 235 yards and five touchdowns. James Bensen hauled in 3 passes for 120 yards with three touchdowns. Tyler Nelson brought in 2 passes for 58 yards, and scored once.

Bensen added 72 yards rushing on 10 carries, scoring once.

Jesse Thompson made 12 tackles while Braden Peters notched 8. Roth and Layne Heese totaled 7 apiece.

The Pendragons recorded 323 yards of offense, 235 coming through the air.

It had to be a good feeling for Pender to finally get that monkey off their back. The Pendragons got the job done in a big way.

Pender (1-2) is at Homer (0-3) Friday night.

The Knights lost 38-34 at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge last time out, and fell 60-28 at Wakefield the week before.

The Pendragons shouldn't have much trouble with Homer I wouldn't think. Pender should be able to win with relative ease.

The Pendragons have to bring the same intensity and focus they did against the Trojans though. The last thing Pender can afford to do is take Homer lightly.

This really is a game the Pendragons need to win. There's no reason Pender should lose this game, and I don't think they will.

Roth, Bensen, and Nelson all need to have big games for the Pendragons.

As much as Pender struggled in the early part of the season, winning a district title is still possible.

All the Pendragons have to do is win their first three district games and then knock off GACC at the end of the regular season.

I really think this district is going to come down to Pender and GACC so the Pendragons have to make sure they don't slip up against the Knights Friday night.

Pender has to come out and be ready to take care of business from the start against Homer. The Pendragons can't start off slow, and let the Knights hang in there.

The last thing Pender wants is Homer gaining momentum and believing they can win. The Pendragons have to put to rest any thoughts of the Knights thinking they have a shot to win the game.

Pender needs to start district play off on the right foot with a big win.

Winnebago loses to Hartington-Newcastle

The Winnebago Indians fell 68-28 at home to Hartington-Newcastle Friday night.

The Wildcats led 12-0 after one. The Indians outscored Hartington-Newcastle 16-14 in the second quarter to make it a 26-16 game at halftime.

The Wildcats had a huge third quarter, erupting for 28 points and holding Winnebago to 6. The score after three was 54-22 in favor of Hartington-Newcastle.

The Wildcats won the fourth quarter 14-6 to make up the final score.

The Indians played well for a half, and that's definitely a positive to take away from the loss moving forward.

Winnebago (0-3) is at Omaha Christian Academy (0-3) Friday night.

The Eagles lost 66-62 at Cedar Bluffs a couple of weeks back.

Omaha Christian Academy will have had a couple of weeks to prepare for the Indians so that should help them out tremendously.

For Winnebago, it's all about playing four quarters of football.

The Indians played well for three quarters against Hartington-Newcastle, it was just one quarter that ultimately made the difference in the game.

Winnebago's defense has to come up big if the Indians want to pick up their first win of the season.

The offense should be there, but the real question figures to be can Winnebago slow down the Eagles' offense?

Omaha Nation held Omaha Christian Academy to 8 points so it's certainly possible.

I think the Indians could very well put things all together against the Eagles.

Winnebago has been improving each week, and the Indians are due for a win.

I think the game will be tight and close throughout, but I think Winnebago is definitely capable of prevailing.

The Indians have to really want this game. This is one of Winnebago's best chances at picking up a win.

The Indians have to outwork and outhustle Omaha Christian Academy. Winnebago has to tackle well on defense, and explode for big plays on offense.

The ability to take care of the ball, sustain drives, and limit penalties figures to be a big keys for the Indians as well.

Winnebago has to come through in the clutch, and make plays when it matters most.

Clock management could be big in a game like this also so the Indians have to manage the game properly from that standpoint.

Clarkson/Leigh steamrolls Omaha Nation

The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots cruised to an easy 56-14 home win over Omaha Nation Friday night.

Clarkson/Leigh led 20-0 at the end of one and outscored the Chiefs 28-0 in the second quarter to take a 48-0 lead into the locker room.

Both Omaha Nation and Clarkson/Leigh scored 8 third quarter points. The Chiefs notched 6 points in the fourth quarter compared to none for the Patriots.

Bradley Bunner had 10 carries for 186 yards and five touchdowns. Hector Mendoza added 65 yards on 17 carries.

Tim Zimmerman made 12 tackles while Haden Held registered 10.

Clarkson/Leigh amassed 272 yards of offense.

I thought the Patriots played a really good game Friday night. Bunner stepped up and led this team the way he is capable of.

Clarkson/Leigh (2-1) is at East Butler (1-2) Friday night.

The Tigers won 50-40 at Johnson-Brock last time out.

East Butler is a good team, don't let their record fool you.

The Tigers lost a couple of close games to Howells-Dodge and Nebraska City Lourdes.

The key to this game is Bunner, in my opinion. If he goes off, the Patriots should be in good shape.

But if he doesn't go off, like was the case against GACC, Clarkson/Leigh could be in trouble.

The Patriots are definitely capable winning this game though.

Clarkson/Leigh just has to get creative in their ways to get Bunner the ball as you can bet East Butler will do everything in their power to slow him down.

The Patriots need to have a good game plan if they are to beat the Tigers, in my opinion.

I think Clarkson/Leigh is capable of winning, I just don't see it being easy.

I'm fully expecting things to be close and tight throughout. If this game is decided by more than a touchdown I would be fairly surprised.

Howells-Dodge knocked off East Butler on the road so that has to give hope to the Patriots and inspire them to beat the Tigers as well.

Clarkson/Leigh has to step things up offensively the way they did against Pender, and have another solid defensive performance like they did against Omaha Nation.

Perhaps the off week allowed the Patriots to figure some things out defensively so it will be interesting to see if Clarkson/Leigh's efforts on that side of the ball against the Chiefs carry over to this coming Friday night.

The Patriots have to do their best to slow down East Butler Quarterback Dalton Bohac and running back Carter Stara.

If Clarkson/Leigh's offense and defense are both clicking the way they did against Omaha Nation, the Patriots are going to be awfully tough to beat.

Howells-Dodge hangs 80 on Omaha Nation

The Howells-Dodge Jaguars defeated Omaha Nation 80-28 at home last Friday night.

Howells-Dodge led 32-0 after one and outscored the Chiefs 18-12 in the second quarter to lead 50-12 at halftime.

The Jaguars doubled up Omaha Nation 16-8 in the third quarter to go up 66-20 at the end of three.

Howells-Dodge won the fourth quarter 14-8.

Jordan Brichacek had 189 yards rushing on 12 carries, and scored 5 touchdowns. Josh Brester carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards, and scored once.

Dax VanLengen was 3-5 passing for 95 yards with an interception.

Zach Bayer hauled in all 3 passes for 95 yards.

The Jaguars racked up 482 yards of total offense, 367 coming on the ground.

This was a very impressive win for Howells-Dodge, in my opinion. I really thought the Jaguars played an exceptional game offensively.

Howells-Dodge (2-1) is at Neligh-Oakdale (3-0) Friday night.

The Warriors downed Clearwater/Orchard 41-8 last time out, and have also had a week off to prepare for this game.

As nice as the off week probably was for the Jaguars, they don't really benefit from it in any way.

With Neligh-Oakdale also having last week off, both teams have had an equal amount of preparation time for one another, which should make for a great game.

I look for both teams to have a few tricks up their sleeve.

It wouldn't surprise me if both teams tried a trick play or two in this game just to try and throw the other team off.

Both teams figure to be tested in a big way in this game so I look for both to gain whatever advantage and edge they can.

Howells-Dodge's offensive line is going to need to open up big holes again this week like they did against Omaha Nation.

The Warriors knocked off the Chiefs 72-12 when the two teams played so both were certainly on top of their game when they played Omaha Nation.

I feel this game could go either way. The game being in Neligh really benefits the Warriors I think, but then again the Jaguars are no stranger to winning tough games on the road.

I really think Howells-Dodge will be in this game for four quarters and give themselves a chance to win at the end.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Jaguars won, but I could see Howells-Dodge losing this game as well.

I don't think it's a slam dunk either way as to which team will win.

The Jaguars won a big game at East Butler to open the season though so it's certainly possible for Howells-Dodge to win another big game on the road.

I feel this game could very well decide who wins the district title.

Emerson-Hubbard falls at Humphrey St. Francis

The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates lost 56-6 at Humphrey St. Francis Friday night.

I thought Emerson-Hubbard had the potential to keep things closer than they did, but it just didn't happen.

The Pirates (1-2) are at Wausa (0-3) Friday night.

The Vikings lost 60-16 at Fullerton last time out.

Wausa has played some tough teams, but Emerson-Hubbard should be able to knock off the Vikings without a doubt.

The Pirates have struggled in their losses, but those came to very good teams.

I could see Wausa hanging around for a while like Scribner-Snyder did, but I look for Emerson-Hubbard to be too much for the Vikings, and pull away.

It will be interesting to see how the Pirates respond following the loss to the Flyers.

Sometimes blowout losses can be discouraging and demoralizing, but Emerson-Hubbard simply has to get back up on that horse and keep going.

The Pirates responded well following the loss to Hartington-Newcastle so there's no doubt they can do it again.

Emerson-Hubbard has to be disciplined and humble, and can't overlook Wausa.

The Pirates can't get all cocky thinking they're going to blowout the Vikings, because when you do that, you often times lose.

Emerson-Hubbard has to come out and play physical football, and smack Wausa in the mouth.

The Pirates need to be fired up and upset after what happened last week quite honestly.

Emerson-Hubbard has to be the aggressor and take the fight to the Vikings.

This is a game the Pirates need and shouldn't have too much trouble winning as long as they come ready to play.

As long as Emerson-Hubbard plays well and doesn't shoot themselves in the foot with silly penalties and turnovers, they should be fine.

Anything can happen though, which is why they play the games.

Scribner-Snyder picks up first win

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans notched their first win of the season Friday night, winning 44-34 at Winside.

The Trojans led the Wildcats 24-22 at the end of one.

Scribner-Snyder outscored Winside 14-6 in the second quarter to go up 38-28 at halftime.

Both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter after not scoring in the third quarter.

Brandon Noel carried the ball 24 times for 187 yards and four touchdowns. Gunner Palmer added 127 yards on 18 carries, including a score.

Noel totaled 14 tackles while Alex Nuno made 10. Marcus Love notched 8 while Josh McMillen and Riley Meyer registered 7 apiece.

The Trojans racked up 394 yards of total offense, all on the ground, and surrendered 220 yards, including 166 through the air.

Head Coach Anthony Ruzicka says it was big to pick up that first win of the season. "It was a huge boost to our confidence. Getting that first one out of the way will hopefully go along ways towards allowing us to play with a little swagger and improve our level of play."

Ruzicka adds his team keeps getting better. "This group has been a lot of fun. We have started off rough, but have made significant strides each week. They have always had a great attitude going into each week, and have been positive in their preparation. They have never gotten down on themselves or each other. Two weeks ago against Emerson-Hubbard, we played a very physical football game.  The guys played their butts off and had tremendous effort. However, 15 penalties and 5 fumbles will usually lose any game, regardless of how hard you play. We really talked about playing smarter and still keeping the intensity up. This week, we finally saw what we have worked at come together.  We played a very physical style of game, and minimized the mental breakdowns. Don't get me wrong, we still had a few, but they were far less than the previous 3 weeks. Our communication on the offensive line has been much better, and that alone has helped improve how well we have moved the ball offensively. Beating Winside proves to these guys what we have been saying all along, and that is that we are a pretty good team when we can get out of our own way."

Scribner-Snyder (1-3) hosts Fullerton (4-0) Friday night.

The Warriors beat Wausa 60-16 last time out.

Ruzicka says Fullerton is the real deal. "Fullerton is a very good team, and has been a powerhouse in recent years. They have excellent skills people, and are solid in the trenches. It would be huge for use to beat a team of this caliber."

The Warriors downed Winside 52-20 earlier this season. Ruzicka says it's going to take a really good game from his team to win. "We are going to have to bring our A game. We will need the ball to bounce our way and catch a few breaks. Fullerton isn't going to overlook us or roll over for us, so we are going to have to earn everything we can. Offensively, we need to minimize the mental breakdowns, play physical to the whistle, and control the ball and time of possession. Defensively, we need to tackle well, and limit the big plays. Bend but not break. If we can do these things, it will definitely be an interesting game."

The best thing about the Trojans is they keep improving.

I would say Scribner-Snyder is a better team now than what they were the first couple games of the season.

I'm willing to bet the Trojans got even better this week which could make for an interesting game against Fullerton.

The Warriors are a good team, but they have yet to be tested.

The teams they've played are a combined 1-12.

I'm not suggesting Scribner-Snyder is a huge test, but I would argue the Trojans are the best team Fullerton will have faced so far.

I think Scribner-Snyder has a chance to make things interesting Friday night.

I think the Trojans can keep things respectable, and make a game of things, at least for a while.

It's going to take a near perfect game from Scribner-Snyder to win, in my opinion, but anything is possible.

There's not a lot of room for error for the Trojans so it will be interesting to see what happens.

I think Scribner-Snyder is going to need to be able to run and pass the ball well to have a shot.

West Point-Beemer defeats Fort Calhoun

The West Point-Beemer Cadets improved to 3-1 on the season with a 20-13 home win over Fort Calhoun Friday night.

Head Coach Troy Schlueter says his team was able to hang in there despite trailing for much of the game. "I don’t think we ever felt like we were out of the game, and we believe that if the score is close in the 4th that we’ve got what it takes to get it done."

West Point-Beemer may be 3-1, but Schlueter says his team needs to keep getting better. "Not much if we don’t keep improving because the goal is to reach our potential as a team, and after watching the film we found plenty of things to work on."

The Cadets travel to O'Neill (4-0) on Thursday.

The Eagles beat Columbus Lakeview 36-14 at home last time out.

Schlueter says the team is looking forward to playing O'Neill. "I think it will take a clean game from us. They’ve got some good athletes that are fun to watch on film, but as always we enjoy the challenge of playing against a quality opponent and seeing what we’re made of."

It's the start of district play for the Cadets. Schlueter says the rest of the season has a lot of meaning. "Any win is big, but district games obviously are nice to get because then you have a shot at extending the season and being able to be a team for a bit longer."

This is a tough district, and the Eagles appear to be a very formidable foe.

O'Neill probably feels they are one of the teams if not the team to beat in the district.

Norfolk Catholic also figures to be tough so if West Point-Beemer is going to have a shot at a district title and a shot at the playoffs they need to play well in all district games.

I feel like the game with the Eagles will be a really good measuring stick to see where the Cadets are at.

West Point-Beemer has gotten off to a nice start, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

The Cadets have to keep improving and growing as a team.

West Point-Beemer can't be satisfied with what they have done so far this season. The Cadets have to want more.

West Point-Beemer still has a lot of work to do if they want to become the type of team they are capable of becoming.

The Cadets are off to a really nice start having won three in a row so that should serve as some good momentum heading into the game.

West Point-Beemer has to play their game, and avoid turnovers and penalties if at all possible.

The Cadets have to build on what they have already done and crank their level of play up a handful of notches.

Winnebago falls to Plainview

The Winnebago Indians were competitive last Friday night, but fell 52-40 to Plainview.

The Pirates doubled up the Indians 16-8 in the first quarter. Plainview shutout Winnebago 8-0 in the second quarter to lead 24-8 at halftime.

Both teams scored 8 points in the third quarter, and the score at the end of three was 32-16 in favor of the Pirates.

Winnebago won the fourth quarter 24-20.

The Indians gave up 393 yards of total offense, including 277 yards on the ground.

I know Winnebago lost, but I thought the Indians played better against Plainview than they did in the opener against Wakefield. The Indians are getting better, they just need to keep their heads up.

Winnebago (0-2) hosts Hartington-Newcastle (2-0) Friday night.

The Wildcats downed Emerson-Hubbard 54-18 at home last time out.

This is going to be another tough game for the Indians, in my opinion.

Hartington-Newcastle appears to be a team to be reckoned with this season, and so Winnebago is going to need to play an exceptional game to compete and come out on top, in my opinion.

The biggest thing will be can the Indians slow down the Wildcats' offense? Winnebago has given up a lot of points and a lot of yards so far this season so it will be interesting to see if the Indians can shore things up defensively.

Offense hasn't been a problem for Winnebago as the Indians have scored 40+ in both games, but it's hard to win games giving up over 50 points.

Perhaps the off week will have allowed the Indians to figure some things out defensively, but Hartington-Newcastle also had an off week so the Wildcats should be ready for Winnebago.

The Indians played Plainview within 12 last Friday night so maybe Winnebago will play well at home again.

The Indians just have to continue to fight and play their hardest. Winnebago's motivation level and want to has to remain high, and the Indians have to battle until the very end regardless of what the scoreboard reads.

Winnebago has to do their best to be competitive and win. The Indians have to play with pride, and cannot give up.

Chatter on the sideline has to be a constant the entire game, and everyone has to motivate and encourage one another.

Players can't be negative towards one another. Everyone needs to stay positive and have their minds focused on winning the game.