Nemaha Central had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.6 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They put the hurt on the Royal Valley Panthers with a sharp 40-16 victory. Considering the Thunder have won four matches by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Carter Hajek was his usual excellent self, rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 19.5 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his 11th straight game with at least 104 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Nemaha Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 453 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive matchups.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jaxson Stevens, who rushed for 204 yards. That's the most rushing yards Stevens has posted since back in October of 2023.
Nemaha Central pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for Royal Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
Nemaha Central will head out to square off against Atchison County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Nemaha Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.4 points per game this season. As for Royal Valley, they will be playing at home against Oskaloosa at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Royal Valley is facing Oskaloosa at the right time seeing as Oskaloosa is stuck on a five-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
