Niobrara/Verdigre hasn't had much luck against Bloomfield recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cougars are taking a road trip to square off against the Bees at 7:00 p.m. Niobrara/Verdigre has given up an average of 40.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Niobrara/Verdigre is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Crofton on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Cougars had to suffer through a 66-20 loss at the hands of the Warriors. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 128th, while the Warriors are ranked 23rd).
Even if they lost, Niobrara/Verdigre's defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. Crofton's QB won't forget Coy Wickersham anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Jacob Motacek was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bloomfield, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They strolled past Boyd County with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 42-28.
Niobrara/Verdigre better keep an eye on Brock Jeannoutot. He was instrumental in Bloomfield's win, rushing for 226 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.3 yards per carry, and also throwing for 17 yards and one touchdown. Jeannoutot was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 52 yards.
Bloomfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 276 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Bloomfield's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.3 points on average over those games. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Niobrara/Verdigre came up short against Bloomfield when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 20-16. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
