Football Recap: Gretna Comes Up Short in High-Profile Game with Gretna East

Gretna faced Gretna East in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Dragons took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Griffins. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Dragons of the 23-20 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2024.

Bryce Lakers

Receiving Yards

10/24/25 @ Gretna East	152
10/17/25 vs Ralston	123
10/10/25 @ Platteview	154
10/03/25 vs Plattsmouth	43
09/26/25 vs Bennington	36
+ 4 more games

Loss or not, Gretna got some senior leadership from Michael Knudsen and Bryce Lakers. Knudsen threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns, while Lakers picked up 152 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. With that strong performance, Lakers is now averaging an impressive 102.4 receiving yards per game.

Gretna East got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chase Grow out in front who threw for 181 yards and three TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 63 yards on only seven carries. That's the most passing yards Grow has posted since back in November of 2024. Seth Kraegel was in the mix as well, providing Gretna East with two scores.

Gretna's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 5-4. As for Gretna East, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record up to 8-1.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Gretna will head out on the road to face off against Norris at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Titans' defense has only allowed 12.9 points per game this season, so the Dragons' offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Gretna East, they will welcome Standing Bear at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.