Hill City is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Trego is on a six-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Ringnecks will welcome the Golden Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hill City is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Oxford 50-0.
Hill City's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tate Balthazor, who threw for 133 yards and two TDs on only 11 passes, and also rushed for 44 yards and one score. Balthazor also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making four total tackles and defending two passes in addition to snagging an interception. Another player making a difference was Jaxson Smith, who picked up 133 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Trego). They blew past Kiowa County 64-18 on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Golden Eagles' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked second, while the Mavericks are ranked 35th).
Trego's win came from a few key players Hill City will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jack Conness, who rushed for 229 yards and five scores while picking up 11.5 yards per carry. Those 229 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Ashton Wynn was another key player, rushing for 88 yards and a pair of TDs.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Trego was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 352 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Trego's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB five times. The heavy lifting was done by Jared Aschenbrenner and Aaron Samson, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them.
Trego's win bumped their record up to 10-0. As for Hill City, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Hill City has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 418.2 total yards per game. It's a different story for Trego, though, as they've been averaging only 221.1 total yards. Will Hill City be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Golden Eagles flip the script?
Hill City couldn't quite get it done against Trego when the teams last played back in September as they fell 30-20. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Conness, who rushed for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also picked up 50 receiving yards and one score. Now that the Ringnecks know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
