The Milford Eagles will square off against the Minden Whippets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Minden will be up against a hot Milford squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went the Eagles' way against Lincoln Christian on Thursday as they made off with a 44-22 victory. The Eagles pushed the score to 44-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the Crusaders cut but never quite recovered from.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Milford to victory, but perhaps none more so than Landon Roth, who threw for 193 yards and four TDs while completing 77.3% of his passes. Zeb Reil was Roth's top target, picking up 65 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Milford's run defense was locked in: Lincoln Christian could only muster 2.4 yards per carry. While two picked up at least two total tackles, Reil stood above the rest. He picked up 65 receiving yards and two scores. The dominant display was nothing new: Milford has now limited their opponent to fewer and fewer yards per carry in four consecutive matchups.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Milford, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Isaac Roth, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three contest, Minden brought some dynamite into their most recent game. They blew past Holdrege 42-14 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Whippets in their matchups with the Dusters: they've now won six in a row.
Milford better keep an eye on Caleb Schwenka. He was instrumental in Minden's win, rushing for 263 yards and six TDs while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Those 263 rushing yards gave Schwenka a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Parker Hatch, who rushed for 177 yards while picking up 9.3 yards per carry.
Minden's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Milford, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Milford has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 173.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Minden struggles in that department as they've been averaging 224.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Milford beat Minden 21-8 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Whippets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
