Two dominant signal callers in Will Anderson and Grant Matson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Bellevue West Thunderbirds will face off against the Lincoln Northeast Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Bellevue West is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Omaha North on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Thunderbirds lost 41-20 to the Vikings. The loss continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their meetings with the Vikings: they've now lost three in a row.
Although Bellevue West took the loss, they still got scores from Bryce Johnson Jr, Dylan Miller, and Jacob Coyer.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Northeast won against Buena Vista last Thursday with 63 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Rockets breezed past South Sioux City to the tune of 63-21. With the Rockets ahead 35-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Bellevue West better focus on containing Kamari Quarells-Rupert and Kaleb Poulsen as the pair were huge in Lincoln Northeast's win. Quarells-Rupert picked up 90 receiving yards and three scores, while Poulsen rushed for 74 yards and one TD. Those three receiving touchdowns gave Quarells-Rupert a new career-high.
Lincoln Northeast's run defense was locked in: South Sioux City could only muster 2.8 yards per carry. The team can thank Jevon Grier for the heroic effort on defense: he. Lincoln Northeast didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 11.5.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Lincoln Northeast, adding 21 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Zayne Scully, who ran a punt back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a kickoff return touchdown from Tyrin Buckley.
The victory made it two in a row for Lincoln Northeast and bumps their season record up to 6-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points over those games. As for Bellevue West, their defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 4-4.
Everything came up roses for Bellevue West against Lincoln Northeast in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 50-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunderbirds since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
