Football Preview: Crofton Warriors vs. Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats
The Crofton Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, everything went Crofton's way against Bloomfield as Crofton made off with a 32-6 victory. That 26 point margin sets a new team best for the Warriors this season.
Meanwhile, Hartington-Newcastle put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 70-6 win over Niobrara/Verdigre on the road. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 50-6.
Cole Heimes was his usual excellent self, rushing for 135 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 224 yards and four touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Cole Rosener was another key player, gaining 154 total yards and four touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hartington-Newcastle was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Niobrara/Verdigre only rushed for 104.
Hartington-Newcastle's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Heimes, Keatyn Arens, Kayne Gratzfeld, and Gratzfeld picked up one apiece.
The victory made it two in a row for Crofton and bumps their season record up to 3-1. As for Hartington-Newcastle, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Crofton took their victory against Hartington-Newcastle in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 58-38. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Hartington-Newcastle's Riley Sudbeck, who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Crofton to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
