The third road game was the charm for Smoky Valley, as they earned their first road win of the season. Everything went their way against the Nickerson Panthers on Friday as the Smoky Valley Vikings made off with a 36-13 victory. That's more bragging rights for the Vikings, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
Smoky Valley got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Gavin Stambaugh out in front who rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry. Ezekiel Baker was another key rusher, rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Smoky Valley wouldn't let Nickerson keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. Jack Opat led the group effort, picking up two of those forced fumbles all by himself. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Smoky Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 387 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
The victory snapped Smoky Valley's losing streak at four games and leaves them with a 2-5 record. As for Nickerson, they dropped their record down to 1-6 with the defeat, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smoky Valley and Hillsboro are set to duel on Friday. As for Nickerson, they will head out to face off against Trinity Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
