vs
| 09/27/24 - Away | 70-68 W |
| 10/06/23 - Home | 64-6 W |
| 10/06/22 - Away | 36-30 W |
Ainsworth is a perfect 3-0 against St. Mary since October of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Bulldogs will welcome the Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. Ainsworth has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with five straight defeats, while St. Mary's will come in with four straight wins.
Ainsworth is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They fell 40-28 to Neligh-Oakdale on Friday.
Despite the loss, Ainsworth had strong showings from Zaine Evans, who picked up 77 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, and Chris Fernandez, who threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Ortner got in on the action too, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for St. Mary's against Creighton on Friday as the squad secured a 66-28 victory. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won three contests by 38 points or more so far this season.
Ainsworth better keep an eye on Gage Hedstrom. He was instrumental in St. Mary's win, rushing for 151 yards and three scores on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 244 yards and six touchdowns. Those six passing touchdowns gave Hedstrom a new career-high. Ben Barlow was another key player, picking up 149 receiving yards and four TDs.
St. Mary's run defense was locked in: Creighton could only muster 2.7 yards per carry. While one picked up at least nine total tackles, Hedstrom stood above the rest. He rushed for 151 yards and three scores on only 13 carries, and also threw for 244 yards and six touchdowns. St. Mary's didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 8.1.
St. Mary's defense didn't let Ethan Kuhl., get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Lane Bybee was especially locked on to Creighton's QB and sacked him twice.
St. Mary's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Ainsworth, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Ainsworth came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Mary's in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, sneaking past 70-68. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Hedstrom, who rushed for 144 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Bulldogs still be able to contain Hedstrom? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
