If Royal Valley was feeling good fresh off their 54-8 takedown of Atchison County last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Royal Valley Panthers lost 40-16 to the Nemaha Central Thunder on Friday. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Thunder: they've now lost six in a row.
Royal Valley lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jaxson Stevens, who rushed for 204 yards. That's the most rushing yards Stevens has posted since back in October of 2023.
Even though they lost, Royal Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 344 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 202 rushing yards in ten consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Carter Hajek was his usual excellent self, rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 19.5 yards per carry for Nemaha Central. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Hajek posted at least 104 rushing yards in the 11th games prior.
Royal Valley's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Nemaha Central, the victory (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 6-1.
Royal Valley will face off against Oskaloosa at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Oskaloosa is coming into the match with three straight defeats on the road, meaning Royal Valley will have to defend against a team hungry for a win. As for Nemaha Central, they will square off against Atchison County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Nemaha Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.4 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
