The Grand Island Central Catholic Crusaders will take on the Boone Central Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Grand Island Central Catholic put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Cross County 52-14. The result was nothing new for the Crusaders, who have now won six games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Grand Island Central Catholic had a senior duo take command as Jack Alberts rushed for 56 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries and Grayson Sack rushed for 47 yards and one score. Connor Haney was another key player, picking up 99 receiving yards and one TD.
Grand Island Central Catholic didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Cross County to a completion percentage of just 37.5%. The team can thank Mason Vasquez for the heroic effort on defense: he. Grand Island Central Catholic has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.63 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.63 in their last three games.
Owen Price
| 10/10/25 @ Cross County | 7 |
| 10/03/25 @ Ord | 6 |
| 09/26/25 vs Centura | 11 |
Grand Island Central Catholic's defense didn't let Sawyer Anderson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Owen Price was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, Boone Central came tearing into Friday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.5 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 34-21. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Wildcats are ranked 99th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grand Island Central Catholic better focus on containing Brogan Benes and Kade Hudson as the pair were huge in Boone Central's win. Benes rushed for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Hudson rushed for 113 yards and a pair of scores on only 15 carries. The dominant performance also gave Hudson a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (two).
Boone Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Max Grosch and Walker Robertson. Another thorn in St. Paul's side was Daron Dozler, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (6.0 for loss).
Boone Central's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Grand Island Central Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Grand Island Central Catholic has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 186.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Boone Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 243.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Grand Island Central Catholic came up short against Boone Central in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 28-21. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Benes, who rushed for 231 yards and two TDs while picking up 7.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 32 receiving yards. Now that the Crusaders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
