Sandhills Valley has been away from home for two games now, but on Thursday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Pleasanton Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Sandhills Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 31.4 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Sandhills Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Arcadia/Loup City, but they still walked away with a 26-22 win.
Leyton Connell was the offensive standout of the contest as he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sandhills Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 213 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Pleasanton put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past West Holt with points to spare, taking the game 49-30. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Huskies are ranked 41st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
A big part of Pleasanton's victory came down to the chemistry between Brennan Lindner and his top target Jaysen Cronin. Lindner rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries while Cronin picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Lindner a new career-high in rushing yards. Braxton Eilenstine made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Pleasanton's defense and their 5.5 sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Cronin and Luke Pawloski, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them. Pawloski is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Sandhills Valley's win bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Pleasanton, they pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Sandhills Valley has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 189.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pleasanton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 247.7. It's looking like Thursday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Sandhills Valley came up short against Pleasanton in their previous matchup back in September of 2021, falling 38-32. Thankfully for Sandhills Valley, Treven Wendt (who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 63 receiving yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
