The Sidney Red Raiders will face off against the Chadron Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Sidney is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Sidney is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They really took it to Alliance for the full four quarters, racking up a 49-6 win. The Red Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by 20 points or more this season.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Sidney, racking up 13 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Keian Kaiser, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Chadron entered their matchup against Gering on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Cardinals were just a hair shy of victory and fell 21-20 to the Bulldogs.
Despite the defeat, Chadron saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jayce Hoffman rushed for 121 yards and three TDs. Those 121 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Hoffman.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 2.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Matthew Lien for the heroic effort on defense: he. Chadron hasn't allowed more than 4.4 yards per carry in four consecutive games.
Sidney's victory bumped their record up to 8-0. As for Chadron, their loss dropped their record down to 6-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Sidney has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 233.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Chadron struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 219.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Sidney's way against Chadron in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as Sidney made off with a 32-8 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Cardinals' Quinn Bailey, who rushed for 179 yards and one touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Red Raiders to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
