The Johnson County Central Thunderbirds will head out on the road to challenge the Lourdes Central Catholic Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Johnson County Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Omaha Christian 56-24 on Friday. The Thunderbirds pushed the score to 56-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Guardians cut but never quite recovered from.
Johnson County Central got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Regan Campbell Thies out in front who threw for 178 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 87.5% of his passes. Danny Kongmanyvong also helped with three touchdowns in total.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Kongmanyvong, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Johnson County Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Lee Xayaphonesongkham and Cooper Jones.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Lourdes Central Catholic's strategy against Weeping Water on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Knights blew the Indians out of the water with a 55-6 final score. The win continues a trend for the Knights in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won four in a row.
Johnson County Central's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Lourdes Central Catholic, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Johnson County Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 178.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lourdes Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 261.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Johnson County Central's way against Lourdes Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Johnson County Central made off with a 42-22 victory. In that contest, the Thunderbirds amassed a halftime lead of 26-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
