The Southwest Roughriders will take on the Red Cloud Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after ten games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
Southwest is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They snuck past Sumner-Eddyville-Miller with a 27-23 victory. The 27-point effort marked the Roughriders' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Houston Billeter continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 90 yards on only 12 carries, while also picking up 35 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Southwest proved: they limited Sumner-Eddyville-Miller to a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. The team can thank Gage Hammond for the heroic effort on defense: he. Southwest hasn't allowed more than 6.3 yards per carry in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Red Cloud faced Wallace in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Warriors strolled past the Wildcats with points to spare, taking the game 54-36.
Southwest better keep an eye on Hunter Englehart. He was instrumental in Red Cloud's win, rushing for 46 yards and a pair of scores.
Red Cloud didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Connor Rust and Josh Heldt. Rust got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Southwest's record is now 10-0. As for Red Cloud, their record now sits at an identical 10-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Southwest has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 170.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Red Cloud struggles in that department as they've been averaging 208.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Southwest took a serious blow against Red Cloud in their previous matchup back in September of 2021, falling 38-0. Can the Roughriders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
