Football Recap: Elkhorn North Wins High-Profile Matchup Against Bennington

Elkhorn North faced Bennington in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Wolves narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Badgers 29-27. For the Wolves, this counts as revenge for the 16-7 win the Badgers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in November of 2024.

Drew Meyer

Receiving Yards

10/23/25 vs Bennington	160
10/10/25 @ Skutt Catholic	98
09/26/25 @ Blair	70
08/29/25 @ Pius X	69
09/19/25 vs Gretna	48

Ethan Beachy was his usual excellent self, rushing for 85 yards and a pair of scores, while also throwing for 216 yards on 16 of 29 attempts. What's more, he posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. 160 of Beachy's passing yards were hauled in by Drew Meyer.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Elkhorn North, adding 11 points to the final score. All came from Zac Keenan: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 2-for-2 kicking extra points for an additional two.

Elkhorn North's defense stepped up as well, laying out Ty Bouaphakeo four times. Zach Wolfe refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Jase Reynolds got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

When it comes to explaining why Bennington lost, don't look at Bouaphakeo. Despite the final result, he threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.3 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 77 yards. The Badgers' leading receiver Jake Russell was Bouaphakeo's top target yet again, picking up 117 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

Elkhorn North's record now sits at 7-2. As for Bennington, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Elkhorn North will look to defend their home field on the 31st against Pius X at 8:00 p.m. As for Bennington, they will welcome Plattsmouth at 7:00 p.m. on the 31st. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 979 yards in their previous games.