Two dominant backs in Sawyer Smith and Trini Trejo are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Ogallala Indians will square off against the Alliance Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ogallala is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Ogallala finally turned things around against Chase County on Friday. They walked away with a 16-6 victory over the Longhorns.
Ogallala got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Smith out in front who rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown. Smith was even better on defense, making 11 total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Ogallala was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 268 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, Alliance was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They took a blow against Sidney, falling 48-14. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Red Raiders are ranked 13th).
Despite the defeat, Alliance had strong showings from EJ Garcia, who rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, and Trejo, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Ogallala's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-6. As for Alliance, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Ogallala has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 197.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Alliance struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178.9. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ogallala took their win against Alliance in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 48-22. In that contest, Ogallala amassed a halftime lead of 32-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
