Two dominant backs in Elijah Bergstrom and Alex Werner are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Axtell Wildcats will venture away from home to take on the Mullen Broncos at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Mullen is hoping to do what Franklin couldn't on Friday: put an end to Axtell's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Axtell simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Franklin 60-28 at home. That's two games straight that the Wildcats have won by exactly 32 points.
Axtell relied on the efforts of Bergstrom, who rushed for 284 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.8 yards per carry, and Jacob Halvorsen, who rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries. With that strong performance, Halvorsen is now averaging an impressive 108.4 rushing yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Axtell was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 504 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Axtell's defense made their presence known, laying out Calvin Carraher. ten times. The heavy lifting was done by Caleb Kindschuh and Dominic Dejonge, who racked up five sacks between them. Kindschuh is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Mullen, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They blew past Bayard, posting a 78-12 win at home. That 66 point margin sets a new team best for the Broncos this season.
Mullen's win on Thursday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Werner, who rushed for 186 yards and four touchdowns on only ten carries. Tate Kvanvig was another key rusher, rushing for 96 yards and four touchdowns on only seven carries.
Mullen wouldn't let Bayard keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Mullen can thank Kvanvig and Cian Connealy for forcing both of them. Mullen got some further help from Jason Kraus: he picked up 2.5 sacks and made ten total tackles.
The victory got Axtell back to even at 4-4. As for Mullen, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Thursday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Axtell has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 314.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mullen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 264.9. It's looking like Thursday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
