Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only The Bellevue West Thunderbirds walked away with it. They enjoyed a cozy 48-34 win over Papillion-LaVista on Friday. The win was familiar territory for Bellevue West who now have five in a row.
Cj Gauff was his usual excellent self, rushing for 182 yards and four touchdowns. Isaiah Mcmorris did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 138 receiving yards and a touchdown.
When it comes to explaining why Papillion-LaVista lost, one person who can't be blamed is Payton Prestito. Despite the final result, he rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Prestito is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Owen Bogacz was another key contributor, picking up 43 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Bellevue West's win was their third straight on the road , which pushed their record up to 7-4. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 38.67 points. As for Papillion-LaVista, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-2.
Bellevue West will face off against Omaha Westside at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Omaha Westside's favor is that they have now posted big point totals every time they've taken the field this season. Papillion-LaVista does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
