Two dominant  backs in  Keston Beavers and  Quincy Orme are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Elm Creek Buffaloes will square off against the Deshler Dragons at 7:00  p.m.  on Thursday. Elm Creek knows how to get  points on the board -- the  squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Deshler likes a good challenge.
On Friday, Elm Creek was able to grind out a solid  win over Wilcox-Hildreth, taking the game  42-34.

 Kole Steiner
| 10/17/25 @ Wilcox-Hildreth | 160.4 | 
| 09/20/24 @ Blue Hill | 156.3 | 
| 09/27/24 vs Franklin | 132.3 | 
| 09/05/25 vs Ravenna | 115.6 | 
| 10/18/24 vs Wilcox-Hildreth | 109.7 | 
Elm Creek can attribute much of their success to   Kole Steiner, who rushed for 42 yards and a pair of  touchdowns, and   Blake Erickson, who picked up 51 receiving yards and one  score. The dominant performance also gave  Steiner a new career-high in  passer rating (160.4).
 They were just one part of a punishing run game: Elm Creek was unstoppable on the ground and  finished the game with 240  rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now  rushed for at least 240  rushing yards in four consecutive  contests.
 Elm Creek didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of  Erickson and  Thomas Sullivan. Erickson got in on the action too, converting a pick  into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, while Deshler put up plenty of  points on Friday, the same  can't be said for High Plains. The Dragons breezed past the Storm to the tune of  67-0. The Dragons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 67  points or more this season.
Elm Creek better keep an eye on  Braxton Peterson. He was instrumental in Deshler's win, rushing for 86 yards and a pair of  TDs. Peterson was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 55 yards. Another player making a difference was  Landyn Tuma, who rushed for 59 yards and one  touchdown.
 Deshler's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB  three times.  Jackson Beam was especially locked on to High Plains' QB and sacked him twice. Beam also set a new season-high mark in  total tackles with nine.
 Elm Creek pushed their record up to 6-2 with the  victory, which was their third straight  on the road. The  road  wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as  they  averaged 52.7 points over those games. As for Deshler, their record now sits at 6-2.
 Thursday's   matchup might be decided on the ground. Elm Creek has been unstoppable on the ground this season,  having  averaged 238.6  rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Deshler struggles in that department as   they've been averaging 242  rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's   contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.  Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.