Osage City hasn't had much luck against Nemaha Central recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Indians will face off against the Thunder. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Osage City sitting on four straight wins and Nemaha Central on 11.
Osage City is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Caney Valley 46-14. The Indians might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by 28 points or more this season.
Reed Silver
| 11/14/25 vs Caney Valley | 256 |
| 10/17/25 @ Silver Lake | 182 |
| 11/07/25 vs Atchison County | 138 |
| 10/10/25 vs St. Marys | 136 |
| 10/24/25 vs Riley County | 98 |
Osage City's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Reed Silver led the charge by throwing for 256 yards and four TDs on only 13 passes, while also rushing for 106 yards and one touchdown on only 15 carries. Those 256 passing yards gave Silver a new career-high. Osage City's leading receiver Quenten Stark was Silver's top target yet again, picking up 203 receiving yards and three scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Osage City was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 205 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Nemaha Central faced Sabetha in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, the Thunder made off with a 21-20 victory over the Bluejays.
Osage City better keep an eye on Carter Hajek. He was instrumental in Nemaha Central's win, rushing for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Hajek has been hot, having posted three or more rushing touchdowns the last five times he's played.
Osage City's win bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Nemaha Central, their victory bumped their record up to 11-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Osage City has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 204.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nemaha Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 295.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Osage City came up short against Nemaha Central in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, falling 33-27. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hajek, who rushed for 302 yards and four TDs. Now that the Indians know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
