The Millard North Mustangs will challenge the Lincoln East Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Millard North headed into their last game having not scored more than 13 points for four straight, but Bryan let them put that streak behind them. The Mustangs blew past the Bears 56-0 on Thursday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Millard North's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isaiah Traylor, who rushed for 75 yards and one TD on only eight carries, and also picked up 46 receiving yards and one touchdown. Zion Rush was another key pass catcher, picking up 55 receiving yards and one score.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Millard North was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Jaron Faughn, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Lincoln East faced Kearney in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Spartans came out on top against the Bearcats by a score of 17-10. The score was all tied up 3-3 at the break, but the Spartans were the better team in the second half.
The critical scores for Lincoln East came from Kyle Campbell and Najee Brown.
Lincoln East didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Caleb Wilcox, Dominic Velasquez, and Brown picked up one apiece.
Lincoln East's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Millard North, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Everything came up roses for Millard North against Lincoln East in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 55-28 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Spartans' Ryan Manning, who threw for 112 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 46 yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Mustangs still be able to contain Manning? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
