Football Preview: Maxwell Wildcats vs. Sandhills/Thedford Knights
Maxwell is 0-5 against Sandhills/Thedford since November of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Maxwell Wildcats will welcome the Sandhills/Thedford Knights at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Maxwell took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Hyannis 36-12.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Maxwell to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jesse Reyes, who rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Reyes also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making two total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception. Christopher Mckeeman was another key back, rushing for 158 yards.
Meanwhile, Sandhills/Thedford put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Bayard 70-12 at home. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won three matches by 42 points or more so far this season.
Sandhills/Thedford's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kyle Cox, who rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. Cox's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his 17th straight game with at least 119 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Anderson, who rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sandhills/Thedford was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 188 rushing yards in 13 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Sandhills/Thedford's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Carson Cooksley and Ross Martindale. What's more, Cooksley also racked up 37 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in October of 2023.
The victory got Maxwell back to even at 2-2. As for Sandhills/Thedford, their win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Maxwell has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 222.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sandhills/Thedford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 248. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Maxwell was taken down by Sandhills/Thedford 66-27 when the teams last played back in October of 2019. Will Maxwell have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
