Syracuse is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing at home against the Fairbury Jeffs at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Syracuse has five straight wins, Fairbury has 12 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Syracuse will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Lincoln Christian, who they had gone 0-5 against in their five prior meetings. The Rockets enjoyed a cozy 34-16 victory over the Crusaders on Friday. The Rockets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Will Janssen
| 09/19/25 @ Lincoln Christian | 4 |
| 08/29/25 @ Milford | 2 |
| 09/12/25 vs Logan View/Scribner-Snyder | 1 |
| 09/05/25 vs Boys Town | 1 |
It was another big night for Will Janssen, who rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. Those four rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Syracuse also got help from Maxwell Parde, who showed off his sure hands for 91 receiving yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Syracuse was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lincoln Christian only rushed for 189.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 45-14, which was the final score in Fairbury's tilt against Milford last Friday.
Fairbury's defeat dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Syracuse, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Syracuse has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 300.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Fairbury, though, as they've been averaging only 94.8 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Syracuse against Fairbury when the teams last played back in September of 2024, as the team secured a 55-14 victory. In that game, the Rockets amassed a halftime lead of 35-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
