Two dominant signal callers in Nate Kelley and Michael Knudsen are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Scottsbluff Bearcats will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Gretna Dragons at 6:00 p.m. Scottsbluff is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Scottsbluff's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-0 win over York. Considering the Bearcats have won seven matches by more than 24 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Scottsbluff's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kelley, who rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 54 yards and a touchdown. George Schmall made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Scottsbluff didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Dawson Barrett, Emilio Cervantes, and Schmall picked up one apiece. Another thorn in York's side was Jhett Webb, who made 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Gretna unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of Gretna East by a score of 23-20. Despite 71 more yards than the Griffins, the Dragons couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Gretna's defeat came about despite a quality game from Knudsen, who threw for 237 yards and a touchdown. What's more, Knudsen also racked up 25 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in October of 2023.
Gretna wouldn't let Gretna East keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Devon Marshall was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance.
Scottsbluff's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. As for Gretna, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Scottsbluff has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 309.4 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Gretna has preferred to attack from the air: they average 301.4 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Scottsbluff ended up a good deal behind Gretna in their previous meeting back in October of 2015, losing 42-28. Thankfully for Scottsbluff, Emmitt Knight (who rushed for 146 yards and five touchdowns, and also picked up 72 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
