Football Game Preview: Lutheran Lions vs. Hinkley Thunder

The Lutheran Lions will challenge the Hinkley Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lutheran has three straight victories, Hinkley has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Lutheran is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed past Standley Lake to the tune of 48-0 on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Lions' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked 37th, while the Gators are ranked 139th).

Eli Abramson

Passer Rating (Career)

10/10/25 @ Standley Lake	153.9
09/20/24 vs Resurrection Christian	142.5
11/16/24 @ Pueblo Central	133.8
10/03/25 vs Green Mountain	120.8
08/30/24 @ Cooper	120.6

Lutheran's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Eli Abramson, who threw for 250 yards and three TDs while completing 72.2% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Abramson a new career-high in passer rating (153.9). Deacon Downing was another key receiver, picking up 154 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Lutheran's run defense was locked in: Standley Lake could only muster 2.3 yards per carry. The Lions' run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 3.33 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.8 on average over their last five games.

Meanwhile, Saturday just wasn't the day for Hinkley's offense. They took a blow against Kennedy on Saturday, falling 70-0.

Lutheran's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Hinkley, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Everything came up roses for Lutheran against Hinkley when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 50-0 victory. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Thunder turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.