Football Preview: Sandhills/Thedford Knights vs. Maxwell Wildcats
Sandhills/Thedford has gone 5-0 against Maxwell recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Sandhills/Thedford Knights will take on the Maxwell Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Sandhills/Thedford will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Sandhills/Thedford is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 70-12 victory over Bayard. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Tigers are ranked 133rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sandhills/Thedford's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kyle Cox, who rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. Cox's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his 17th straight game with at least 119 rushing yards dating back to last season. Carter Anderson was another major influence, as he rushed for 102 yards and ran in a TD.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sandhills/Thedford was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 188 rushing yards in 13 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Sandhills/Thedford's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Carson Cooksley and Ross Martindale. What's more, Cooksley also racked up 37 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Maxwell, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They were the clear victor by a 36-12 margin over Hyannis on Thursday.
Maxwell's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jesse Reyes led the charge by rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Reyes also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making two total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception. Kole Jones was in the mix as well, providing Maxwell with two touchdowns.
Sandhills/Thedford pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Maxwell, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Sandhills/Thedford has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 383 total yards per game. It's a different story for Maxwell, though, as they've been averaging only 247. Will Sandhills/Thedford be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Maxwell flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Sandhills/Thedford against Maxwell in their previous meeting back in October of 2019, as the squad secured a 66-27 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Maxwell's Dalton Whisenhunt, who rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Sandhills/Thedford to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
