The Kearney Bearcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Columbus Discoverers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Kearney was handed a 28-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They skirted past Millard North 31-28. The victory continues a trend for the Bearcats in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won three in a row.
The critical scores for Kearney came from Adrick Techmeier, Cole Larsen, John Florell, and Frazier Foster.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Kearney, adding 13 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Foster, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Kearney didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Trey Norman.
Meanwhile, Columbus hadn't done well against Lincoln East recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Discoverers walked away with a 28-21 win over the Spartans.
Columbus' win came from a few key players Kearney will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Evvann Daniels, who rushed for 72 yards, and also caught one TD. Michael Voichoskie was another key player, rushing for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Columbus didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Lincoln East to a completion percentage of just 37%. The team can thank Xavien Lopez-Long for the heroic effort on defense: he. Columbus wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 65.2%.
Columbus' victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Kearney, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Everything came up roses for Kearney against Columbus in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 43-14 win. In that game, the Bearcats amassed a halftime lead of 36-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
