It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Axtell can now relate to. They took a blow against the Sandhills/Thedford Knights on Friday, falling 76-26. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 52-20.
When it comes to explaining why Axtell lost, don't look at Jacob Halvorsen. Despite the final result, he rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 115 yards on seven of 16 attempts. Halvorsen has become a key player for Axtell: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 2-4 otherwise. Axtell also got a significant boost from Elijah Bergstrom, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 88 yards.
Even though they lost, Axtell was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 15 consecutive games dating back to last season.
It was another big night for Kyle Cox, who rushed for 245 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 15.3 yards per carry, and also threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes for Sandhills/Thedford. Cox's rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his 23rd straight game with at least 119 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Maurice Robinson, who rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries.
The loss snapped Axtell's winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 5-5 record. As for Sandhills/Thedford, the win for them keeps them at an undefeated 10-0.
Axtell does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Sandhills/Thedford, they are on the road again on Friday to play Riverside at 5:00 p.m. Sandhills/Thedford is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.9 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
