The Wilber-Clatonia Wolverines will face off against the Nebraska City Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither Wilber-Clatonia nor Nebraska City posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.
While Wilber-Clatonia's win against Fairbury wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Wolverines won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by the Jeffs 13-12. The Wolverines haven't had any issues with the Jeffs recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Aven Smith
| 10/03/25 @ Fairbury | 63 |
| 09/19/25 vs Fillmore Central | 23 |
| 09/26/25 vs Auburn | 21 |
| 08/29/25 @ Boys Town | 16 |
| 09/05/25 vs Lincoln Christian | 1 |
Wilber-Clatonia can attribute much of their success to Aven Smith, who rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown, and Zach Marsh, who gained 134 total yards. Those 63 rushing yards gave Smith a new career-high.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Wilber-Clatonia proved: they limited Fairbury to a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Allen Roger for the heroic effort on defense: he. Wilber-Clatonia's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 5.2.
Wilber-Clatonia's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Brock Young was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Nebraska City's offense. They took a blow against Syracuse on Friday, falling 49-0. While losing is never fun, the Pioneers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked 87th, while the Rockets are ranked 23rd).
Wilber-Clatonia picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 2-4. As for Nebraska City, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Wilber-Clatonia strolled past Nebraska City in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 35-20. Will the Wolverines repeat their success, or do the Pioneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
