Two dominant backs in Connor Hinrichs and Garrett Smidt are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sutton Mustangs will head out to square off against the Tri County Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sutton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 39.7 points per game this season.
Sutton's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Southern 74-0. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Mustangs' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Raiders are ranked 113th).
Keith Kliewer
| 10/09/25 @ Southern | 55 |
| 09/26/25 @ Exeter-Milligan/Friend | 51 |
| 09/12/25 @ Southern Valley | 26 |
| 10/03/25 vs Sandy Creek | 23 |
| 09/05/25 vs Heartland | 10 |
Sutton can attribute much of their success to Keith Kliewer, who rushed for 52 yards and two scores, and Griffin Bergen, who rushed for 87 yards and a pair of TDs. The dominant performance also gave Kliewer a new career-high in passing yards (55). Sutton also got a significant boost from Creighton Jones, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
Sutton's run defense was locked in: Southern could only muster 1.9 yards per carry. The team can thank Max Huxoll for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sutton didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 11.2.
Sutton's defense didn't let Weston Whitwer, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Bergen, Javin Jordan, and Aydin Banta, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Tri County played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Thayer Central 68-22. The Trojans haven't had much luck with the Titans recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Sutton's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points over those games. As for Tri County, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Sutton has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 359.3 total yards per game. It's a different story for Tri County, though, as they've been averaging only 233 total yards. Will Sutton be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Trojans flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Sutton against Tri County in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 51-18 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
