Football Preview: Kearney Bearcats vs. Columbus Discoverers
After two games on the road, Kearney is heading back home. They will host the Columbus Discoverers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Kearney will be hoping to continue their four-game streak of scoring more points each game than the last.
Kearney is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Millard North, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Kearney was ranked seventh). Kearney came out on top in a nail-biter against Millard North on Friday, sneaking past 36-33. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bearcats have posted since September 29, 2023.
Kearney got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Zaire Lagrone out in front who picked up 77 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown. Lagrone torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 77 yards. Another signal caller making a difference was Griffin Novacek, who threw for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. Rhett Mundorf launched a 46-yard bomb between the uprights, which ended up accounting for the difference in the match.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Columbus' good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell 27-14 to Lincoln East. The loss continues a trend for the Discoverers in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now lost three in a row.
Although Columbus took the loss, they still got scores from Michael Voichoskie and Connor Kallweit.
Kearney's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Columbus, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Kearney has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 157.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 168.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Kearney came up short against Columbus in their previous meeting back in October of 2021, falling 35-31. Thankfully for Kearney, Brody Mickey (who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 87 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
