The St. Mary's Cardinals will take on the Howells-Dodge Jaguars on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
St. Mary's is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Sandhills/Thedford, posting a 66-24 victory. The win was just business as usual for the Cardinals, who after 11 games remain undefeated this season.
Gage Hedstrom
| 11/07/25 vs Sandhills/Thedford | 208 |
| 10/31/25 vs Burwell | 153 |
| 10/23/25 vs Creighton | 111 |
| 10/16/25 vs Neligh-Oakdale | 227 |
| 10/10/25 @ North Central | 112 |
| 10/03/25 vs Elgin/Pope John | 102 |
Gage Hedstrom continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 208 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 9.9 yards per carry, and also throwing for 184 yards and three TDs while completing 92.3% of his passes. His rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 102 rushing yards. A healthy portion of Hedstrom's aerial production (85 yards to be exact) went to Ben Barlow, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: St. Mary's was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 282 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sandhills/Thedford only rushed for 172.
Meanwhile, Howells-Dodge faced Lawrence-Nelson in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Jaguars blew past the Raiders 30-8. The victory continues a trend for the Jaguars in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won three in a row.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Oliver Belina and Hunter Luther. Belina gained 142 total yards and two touchdowns while Luther rushed for 149 yards and a pair of scores. Belina really tore up the turf during one magnificent 72-yard run.
Howells-Dodge didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Andre Martin and Dane Meyer.
Howells-Dodge's win bumped their record up to 11-0. As for St. Mary's, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 11-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. St. Mary's has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 206 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Howells-Dodge struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 282.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
