The Pleasanton Bulldogs will head out to square off against the Sandhills Valley Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pleasanton is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
In Friday's Canine Competition, Pleasanton came out on top. They enjoyed a cozy 49-30 win over West Holt on Friday. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Huskies are ranked 41st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
A big part of Pleasanton's victory came down to the chemistry between Brennan Lindner and his top target Jaysen Cronin. Lindner rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries while Cronin picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Lindner a new career-high in rushing yards. Braxton Eilenstine got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
One reason for the win was Pleasanton's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 5.5 sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Cronin and Luke Pawloski, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them. Pawloski is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Sandhills Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Arcadia/Loup City on Friday, but they still walked away with a 26-22 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mavericks.
Among those leading the charge was Leyton Connell, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sandhills Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 213 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
Pleasanton's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-0. As for Sandhills Valley, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Pleasanton has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 247.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sandhills Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189.7. It's looking like Thursday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Pleasanton didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Sandhills Valley in their previous matchup back in September of 2021, but they still walked away with a 38-32 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Sandhills Valley's Jaxton Starr, who picked up 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Pleasanton to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
