The Kenesaw Blue Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Ainsworth Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Kenesaw will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 101st, while Ainsworth is ranked 11th).
Kenesaw started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Axtell. They fell to the Wildcats 12-8. Having soared to a lofty 36 points in the game before, Kenesaw couldn't push the score so high this time.
Meanwhile, Ainsworth put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They claimed a resounding 40-0 win over Boyd County at home. Fans of Ainsworth have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season ended as a blowout.
Carter Nelson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 201 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.6 yards per carry, and also throwing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 61 yards. Morgan Kinney also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Ainsworth's win bumped their season record to 8-0 while Kenesaw's loss dropped theirs to 4-4.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Kenesaw has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 196.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ainsworth struggles in that department as they've been even better at 242 per game. It's looking like Thursday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
