The Winside Wildcats will take on the Bancroft-Rosalie Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Bancroft-Rosalie will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Winside extended their winning streak to four on Friday. The Wildcats took their game with ease, bagging a 72-40 victory over Walthill. The Wildcats' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Winside didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Matthew Gubbels, Mason Edwards, and Asher Uttecht picked up one apiece. Uttecht got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Bancroft-Rosalie's strategy against Randolph on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Panthers blew the Cardinals out of the water with an 82-42 final score. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by 20 points or more this season.
Bancroft-Rosalie's win came from a few key players Winside will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaden Browning, who threw for 196 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 36 yards and one score. Bancroft-Rosalie's leading receiver Braylon Wegner was Browning's top target yet again, picking up 143 receiving yards and three TDs.
Bancroft-Rosalie was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 404 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Winside's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Bancroft-Rosalie, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 4-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Winside has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 174 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bancroft-Rosalie struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 211 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Winside was dealt a bruising 70-22 defeat at the hands of Bancroft-Rosalie in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Wildcats were down 56-8.
