Boyd County was handed a 36-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They skirted past the Niobrara/Verdigre Cougars 28-26. For the Spartans, this counts as revenge for the 24-22 victory the Cougars walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September of 2024.
Ben Schmitz
| 09/26/25 vs Niobrara/Verdigre | 142 |
| 09/19/25 vs Wausa/Osmond | 44 |
| 09/12/25 @ St. Mary's | 90 |
| 09/05/25 @ Elkhorn Valley | 145 |
| 08/29/25 vs North Central | 119 |
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Barrett Koenig and Ben Schmitz. Koenig rushed for 129 yards and a pair of scores on only 13 carries while Schmitz rushed for 142 yards and two TDs while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Schmitz is now averaging an impressive 108 rushing yards per game.
Boyd County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 317 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 167 rushing yards in eight consecutive games dating back to last season.
Boyd County's defense made their presence known, laying out Cash Wickersham. four times. Peyton Wickersham was especially locked on to Niobrara/Verdigre's QB and sacked him twice.
When it comes to explaining why Niobrara/Verdigre lost, don't look at Cash. Despite the final result, he rushed for 136 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 108 yards and a pair of TDs. Isaac Hoferer was in the mix as well, providing the Cougars with one score.
Boyd County now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-4.
Looking ahead, Boyd County will head out to challenge Bloomfield at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bees' defense has only allowed 10.8 points per game this season, so the Spartans' offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, they will challenge Crofton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
