The Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack will take on the Neligh-Oakdale Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Elgin/Pope John had been on a three-game streak of scoring at least 31 points, but St. Mary's put an end to it on Friday. The Wolfpack had to suffer through a 63-6 loss at the hands of the Cardinals. The Wolfpack's defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Neligh-Oakdale put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to Creighton for the full four quarters, racking up a 66-24 win. Considering the Warriors have won four contests by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Elgin/Pope John better keep an eye on Cooper Arehart. He was instrumental in Neligh-Oakdale's win, rushing for 151 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also throwing for 268 yards and four TDs while completing 72.2% of his passes. Those four passing touchdowns gave Arehart a new career-high. Trevan Torres was another key player, gaining 168 total yards and three touchdowns.
Neligh-Oakdale was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 218 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Neligh-Oakdale didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Torres, Breckin Kight, and Tyler Furstenau picked up one apiece.
Neligh-Oakdale's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Elgin/Pope John, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.
Elgin/Pope John didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Neligh-Oakdale when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 36-32 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Arehart, who rushed for 161 yards and four scores, and also threw for 264 yards and one touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Wolfpack still be able to contain Arehart? There's only one way to find out.
