Neligh-Oakdale was the 48-8 winner over Elgin/Pope John when they last played one another back in October of 2017, but their luck changed this time around. The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors fell to the Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack 36-32. The Warriors gained 146 more yards on the day, but it was the Wolfpack that made the best use of them.
When it comes to explaining why Neligh-Oakdale lost on Friday, don't look at Cooper Arehart. Despite the final result, he rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns, and also threw for 264 yards and a touchdown. Arehart's longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards. 87 of those passing yards were hauled in by Tyson Blakeman.
Neligh-Oakdale didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Arehart and Breckin Kight. With that strong performance, Arehart is now averaging an impressive 2.1 rushing touchdowns per game.
Grady Drueke was his usual excellent self, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns for Elgin/Pope John. Those 179 rushing yards gave Drueke a new career-high.
This is the second loss in a row for Neligh-Oakdale and nudges their season record down to 2-5. As for Elgin/Pope John, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Neligh-Oakdale will be playing in front of their home fans against St. Mary's at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Mary's knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully Neligh-Oakdale likes a good challenge. As for Elgin/Pope John, they will head out on the road to challenge Ainsworth at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ainsworth will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Elgin/Pope John surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
