The Gretna East Griffins will challenge the Gretna Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gretna East is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
Gretna East is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 42-21 margin over Skutt Catholic. Considering the Griffins have won seven games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Chase Grow
| 11/07/25 vs Skutt Catholic | 3 |
| 10/31/25 vs Standing Bear | 2 |
| 10/02/25 vs Platteview | 2 |
| 10/10/25 @ Ralston | 1 |
| 09/26/25 @ Plattsmouth | 1 |
Gretna East's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Connor Sams, who rushed for 213 yards and three scores while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and Chase Grow, who rushed for 105 yards and three TDs on only nine carries. Those three rushing touchdowns gave Grow a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Gretna East was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 361 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 150 rushing yards in ten consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Gretna strolled past York with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 35-21.
Gretna East better keep an eye on Michael Knudsen. He was instrumental in Gretna's win, throwing for 356 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt. Knudsen's passing game has become a key predictor of the Dragons' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 3-4 otherwise. Bryce Lakers was Knudsen's top target, picking up 108 receiving yards and one score.
Gretna East's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Gretna, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Gretna East has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 258.1 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Gretna has preferred to attack from the air: they average 277 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Gretna East was able to grind out a solid victory over Gretna in their previous meeting back in October, winning 35-28. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Griffins since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
