Football Game Preview: Bennington Badgers vs. Elkhorn Antlers

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Previous 6 Games

10/11/24 - Home	35-7 W
09/22/23 - Away	28-7 W
09/23/22 - Home	41-21 W
11/12/21 - Home	28-7 W
10/08/21 - Away	49-14 W
10/09/20 - Home	42-34 W

Bennington has gone a perfect 6-0 against Elkhorn recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Badgers will head out on the road to challenge the Antlers at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bennington has five straight wins, Elkhorn has eight straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Bennington's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 42-0 victory over Blair. Considering the Badgers have won four matchups by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Will Gutz continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 147 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 61 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Ty Bouaphakeo was another key player, rushing for 79 yards and one score on only six carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Bennington was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 351 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.

The home team had won the previous five meetings between Elkhorn and Elkhorn North, and Elkhorn North kept the tradition alive. The Antlers had to suffer through a 51-7 loss at the hands of the Wolves. The Antlers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 41-0.

Elkhorn's loss dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Bennington, their record now sits at 5-1.

Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. Bennington has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 227 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elkhorn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 147.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Everything came up roses for Bennington against Elkhorn when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 35-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Badgers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.