Football Game Preview: Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats vs. Wisner-Pilger Gators

The Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats will square off against the Wisner-Pilger Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wisner-Pilger took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Hartington-Newcastle, who comes in off a win.

Hartington-Newcastle is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Bloomfield: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Wildcats blew the Bees out of the water with a 49-14 final score. Considering the Wildcats have won five contests by more than 22 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Austin Sudbeck

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/16/25 vs Bloomfield	172
09/19/25 vs Niobrara/Verdigre	129
10/03/25 vs Wausa/Osmond	111
10/10/25 @ Boyd County	109
09/26/25 @ Crofton	90

Austin Sudbeck had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 172 yards and four scores while picking up 7.2 yards per carry, and also throwing for 145 yards and a pair of TDs. Those 172 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jason Heimes, who gained 124 total yards and two touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hartington-Newcastle was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 210 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Wisner-Pilger's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They lost to Pender on the road by a 25-8 margin. The game marked the Gators' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Hartington-Newcastle's record now sits at 6-2. As for Wisner-Pilger, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 6-2.

Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. Hartington-Newcastle has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 260.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wisner-Pilger struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 274.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.