Football Game Preview: Columbus Discoverers vs. Bryan Bears

Columbus is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bryan Bears at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Columbus has three straight wins, Bryan has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Columbus is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing North Platte: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Discoverers blew the Bulldogs out of the water with a 42-6 final score. The Discoverers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 21 points or more this season.

Columbus' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Michael Voichoskie led the charge by rushing for 105 yards and one touchdown. Another rusher making a difference was Evvann Daniels, who rushed for 87 yards and one score.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Columbus was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 302 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.

Meanwhile, Bryan fell victim to Millard North and their airtight defense on Thursday. They took a blow against the Mustangs, falling 56-0. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Mustangs are ranked 40th).

Bryan's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Columbus, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.

Everything came up roses for Columbus against Bryan in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 49-0 win. Will the Discoverers repeat their success, or do the Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.