Football Preview: Omaha Westside Warriors vs. Elkhorn South Storm
Omaha Westside has won nine straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Elkhorn South has won nine straight on the road also dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Omaha Westside Warriors will welcome the Elkhorn South Storm at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Omaha Westside is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Fremont 63-6 at home on Friday. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked second, while the Tigers are ranked 75th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tay Tay Jenkins and Braylen Warren were among the main playmakers for Omaha Westside as the former rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries and the latter threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes. Omaha Westside also got a significant boost from Finn Christensen, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 89 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Omaha Westside was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fremont only rushed for 125.
Omaha Westside didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Quinton Warren and Dalonte Dixon.
Meanwhile, while Elkhorn South put up plenty of points on Thursday, the same can't be said for Burke. Elkhorn South claimed a resounding 69-0 win over Burke at home. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Storm had established a 55 point advantage.
Gavin Shanahan continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry, and also throwing for 16 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Madden Riggs, who threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes.
Another reason for the win was Elkhorn South's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Devin Meier and Mccorter Goeser, who racked up four sacks between them. Goeser is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Omaha Westside's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Elkhorn South, their win bumped their record up to an identical 6-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Omaha Westside has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elkhorn South struggles in that department as they've been averaging 218. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Omaha Westside against Elkhorn South in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, as the squad secured a 56-0 victory. Will Omaha Westside repeat their success, or does Elkhorn South have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
