Two dominant signal callers in Michael Knudsen and Nate Kelley are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Gretna Dragons will take on the Scottsbluff Bearcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Gretna will head into Friday's matchup out to bounce back: they came back down to earth on Friday after soaring to a 31-point game in their last game. They fell just short of Gretna East by a score of 23-20. The Dragons' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Knudsen put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 237 yards and a touchdown. What's more, he 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.
Meanwhile, Scottsbluff waltzed into their match on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They breezed by the Dukes to the tune of 35-0. The Bearcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by 25 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Scottsbluff to victory, but perhaps none more so than 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).
Gretna's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Scottsbluff, they pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Gretna has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 301.4 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Scottsbluff, though, as they've been averaging only 82.5. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Gretna strolled past Scottsbluff when the teams last played back in October of 2015 by a score of 42-28. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Scottsbluff's Brad Johnston, who rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Gretna to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
