vs
| 08/29/25 - Home | 21-19 W |
| 08/30/24 - Away | 0-23 L |
| 11/11/22 - Away | 7-23 L |
| 11/05/21 - Away | 0-41 L |
| 09/06/19 - Away | 34-20 W |
| + 4 more games |
Waverly gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Bennington Badgers 21-19. This was payback for the Vikings, who suffered a 23-0 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Nathan Axmann was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 258 yards and a pair of scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Waverly was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 261 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 195 rushing yards in seven consecutive games dating back to last season.
Despite the loss, Bennington had strong showings from Jake Russell, who picked up 215 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Ty Bouaphakeo, who threw for 274 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.0 yards per attempt. Russell was no stranger to the big play, connecting on a big catch that went for 61 yards.
Waverly and Bennington should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings. The Vikings (ranked fifth) will meet Seward (ranked 51st) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Bennington will take on Gretna East at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank advantage (6 vs. 49).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
