Palmer is 0-3 against Central Valley since September of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Tigers will look to defend their home field against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Palmer has given up an average of 47.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Palmer is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Chambers/Wheeler Central on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Tigers came up short against the Renegades, falling 38-18. The Tigers were down 38-12 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Although Palmer took the loss, they still got scores from Karter Ku, William Scheer, and Erik Samuelson.
Meanwhile, Central Valley put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 48-7 victory over Twin Loup. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked first, while the Wolves are ranked 37th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Central Valley found their leader in sophomore Lincoln Nekoliczak, who threw for 162 yards and four touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Those four passing touchdowns set a new season-high mark for Nekoliczak.
Central Valley didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Twin Loup to a completion percentage of just 30.4%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from two players: Zevan Wolf and Ky Cargill, who each logged one passes deflected. Central Valley hasn't an opponent to post a completion percentage of 0.5 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Palmer's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Central Valley, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Palmer has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 247.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Palmer was dealt a bruising 66-0 loss at the hands of Central Valley in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Tigers, Zaden Wolf (who rushed for 175 yards and five TDs on only nine carries, and also threw for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
