The Winside Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their seventh straight loss. The New Year welcomed they with a 52-19 whooping from Hartington-Newcastle. Winside lost against Hartington-Newcastle in their previous head to head back in January of 2023, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 41-26 score last time.
Hadleigh Schutt was Winside's leading scorer, having posted five points.
Winside's defeat was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-10. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 22.4 points per game. As for Hartington-Newcastle, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 8-4 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Winside will take on Omaha Nation at TBD on Tuesday. One thing working in Omaha Nation's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four matchups. As for Hartington-Newcastle, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Niobrara/Verdigre at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Niobrara/Verdigre will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
