The Oskaloosa Bears will take on the Nemaha Central Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Oskaloosa has given up an average of 26 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Friday, Oskaloosa had to suffer through a 43-14 loss at the hands of Atchison County. The Bears have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, Nemaha Central put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Chanute with points to spare, taking the game 28-14. Given the Thunder's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 13th, while the Blue Comets are ranked 77th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Oskaloosa better keep an eye on Carter Hajek. He was instrumental in Nemaha Central's win, rushing for 155 yards and three TDs. Hajek has been hot for a while, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last 13 times he's played.
Nemaha Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards in 13 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Nemaha Central's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Oskaloosa, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.
Oskaloosa took a serious blow against Nemaha Central in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 48-6. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hajek, who rushed for 141 yards and four touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 54 yards and one TD while completing 80% of his passes. Now that the Bears know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
