Football Recap: Anselmo-Merna Piles Up the Points Against Lyons-Decatur Northeast

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Anselmo-Merna had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars 58-22. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 36-8.

Dane Duryea was his usual excellent self, rushing for 209 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, and also throwing for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns on perfect 6-for-6 passing. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in passer rating (177.1). Timmy Myers was another key player, gaining 131 total yards and two touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Anselmo-Merna was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 379 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast's loss came despite strong showings from Kaden Knaak and Brady Hayes. Knaak picked up 139 receiving yards and a pair of scores, while Hayes threw for 161 yards and two TDs. Hayes' passing game has become a key predictor of the Cougars' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 2-4 otherwise.

Coyotes

Previous 5 Games

10/23/25 vs Lyons-Decatur Northeast	58-22
10/17/25 vs Palmer	56-8
10/10/25 @ Twin Loup	46-27
10/03/25 @ Burwell	58-35
09/26/25 vs Chambers/Wheeler Central	64-16

The victory was the fifth in a row for Anselmo-Merna, bringing their record up to 8-1. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 34.8 points. As for Lyons-Decatur Northeast, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-5.

Coming up, Anselmo-Merna will take on Sandhills/Thedford on Friday. The Coyotes will need to watch out since the Knights have now posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season. Lyons-Decatur Northeast does not have any more games scheduled as of now.