After two games on the road, South Loup is heading back home. They will welcome the Pleasanton Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, South Loup won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by West Holt 25-24.
Conner Paulsen was his usual excellent self, rushing for 172 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries, while also picking up 34 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Ethan Furne did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 93 receiving yards.
South Loup was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
South Loup's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Harper Johnson and Furne.
Meanwhile, Pleasanton put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 35-6 win over Arcadia/Loup City at home. Considering the Bulldogs have won four matches by more than 24 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Brennan Lindner, who threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making four total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
South Loup pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Pleasanton, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. South Loup has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 214.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pleasanton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 280.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
South Loup lost to Pleasanton at home by a decisive 50-32 margin in their previous matchup back in October of 2021. Thankfully for South Loup, Treven Wendt (who rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
