Football Recap: Lyons-Decatur Northeast Falls Despite Big Games from Brady Hayes and Kaden Knaak

Lyons-Decatur Northeast was the 60-22 winner over Winside when they last played one another back in September of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Cougars fell 39-28 to the Wildcats on Friday. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the loss, Lyons-Decatur Northeast had strong showings from Kaden Knaak, who picked up 158 receiving yards and two scores, and Brady Hayes, who threw for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 passes. Knaak didn't just play on offense: he also picked up a sack and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Joseph Findlay for the heroic effort on defense: he. Lyons-Decatur Northeast didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 5.6.

It was another big night for Jayden Aschoff, who threw for 195 yards and five TDs while completing 77.3% of his passes for Winside. Those five passing touchdowns gave Aschoff a new career-high. Winside's leading receiver Jahiem Hamik was Aschoff's top target yet again, picking up 67 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Winside, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 3-1.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Lyons-Decatur Northeast is set to face off against their familiar foe Wynot at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Winside will square off against rival Walthill at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.