The Nickerson Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Smoky Valley Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with six consecutive losses for Nickerson and eight for Smoky Valley dating back to last season.
Nickerson fell victim to Pratt's stalwart defense on Friday and couldn't make it onto the board. They had to suffer through a rough 52-0 loss at the hands of the Greenbacks. Nickerson was already down big by the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Smoky Valley was the victim of a tough 43-22 loss at the hands of Hillsboro on Friday.
Despite their loss, Smoky Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Gavin Stambaugh, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, was perhaps the best of all.
Nickerson's defeat was their eighth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 1-6. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 6-1 Andale and 8-3 Cheney (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 55.1% over those games). As for Smoky Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 0-7.
Nickerson was dealt a bruising 42-0 loss at the hands of Smoky Valley in their previous meeting back in October of 2022. Will Nickerson have more luck at home instead of on the road?
