The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors will face off against the Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Neligh-Oakdale is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Creighton on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Neligh-Oakdale came up short against Creighton, falling 72-46. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 31st).
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Corbin Hoefer and Taylor Nilson. Nilson had a great game and threw for 315 yards and six touchdowns while completing 71.9% of his passes. Meanwhile, Hoefer was balling out in the loss, picking up 60 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.
Neligh-Oakdale didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Cooper Arehart and Tyson Blakeman.
Meanwhile, Elgin/Pope John took a blow against St. Mary's on Friday, falling 68-28. The Wolfpack have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Grady Drueke, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Neligh-Oakdale's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Elgin/Pope John, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Neligh-Oakdale has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 192.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elgin/Pope John struggles in that department as they've been averaging 228.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Neligh-Oakdale against Elgin/Pope John when the teams last played back in October of 2017, as the team secured a 48-8 victory. Will Neligh-Oakdale repeat their success, or does Elgin/Pope John have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
