Football Game Preview: Crete Cardinals vs. Northwest Vikings

Crete hasn't had much luck against Northwest recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cardinals will welcome the Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Crete will aim to continue their four-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.

Crete is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Lincoln Northwest 45-7. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

A big part of Crete's win came down to the chemistry between Nick Wendt and his top target Landry Kuntz. Wendt threw for 311 yards and four TDs while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt while Kuntz picked up 98 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Eh Powd Say, who rushed for 57 yards and one score.

Crete's run defense was locked in: Lincoln Northwest could only muster 2.4 yards per carry. The Cardinals' run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 2.08 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed five on average over their last five games.

Meanwhile, Northwest didn't have quite enough to beat York on Friday and fell 18-16. While the Vikings had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Dukes 7-0.

Northwest's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Crete, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 2-5.

Crete was dealt a bruising 42-0 loss at the hands of Northwest in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Vikings' Caejon Suttles, who threw for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 12 passes, and also punched in a pair of TDs on the ground. Now that the Cardinals know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.