The Lourdes Central Catholic Knights will take on the Johnson County Central Thunderbirds at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Johnson County Central will be up against a hot Lourdes Central Catholic team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Knights took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 55-6 victory over Weeping Water. With the Knights ahead 39-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Johnson County Central). They blew past Omaha Christian 56-24 on Friday. The Thunderbirds' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Johnson County Central's win came from a few key players Lourdes Central Catholic will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Regan Campbell Thies, who threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of A.J. Rautenbach, who picked up 69 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Johnson County Central, racking up 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Danny Kongmanyvong, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Johnson County Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Lee Xayaphonesongkham and Cooper Jones.
Lourdes Central Catholic's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Johnson County Central, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Lourdes Central Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 261.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Johnson County Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Lourdes Central Catholic suffered a grim 42-22 defeat to Johnson County Central in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Knights were down 26-6.
