Lincoln is 4-0 against Wheatland since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Lincoln Fighting Zebras will welcome the Wheatland Pirates at 7:15 p.m. Both teams are still undefeated after four-games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
Lincoln is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Mira Loma 63-0 on the road on Thursday. While the Fighting Zebras didn't have the best season last year (they finished 1-9), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lincoln to victory, but perhaps none more so than Eli Duff, who threw for 124 yards and four touchdowns on perfect 7-for-7 passing, and also rushed for 31 yards. Another back making a difference was Devin Davis, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries.
Lincoln's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Madden Bessette. Another thorn in Mira Loma's side was Brayden Bertozzi, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made seven total tackles (2.5 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Lincoln was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
While Wheatland didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-7), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Bear River with a sharp 27-7 win on Friday. Considering the Pirates have won three contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
The critical scores for Wheatland came from Joseph Franklin, Jordan James, and James.
Wheatland's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. Bear River's QB won't forget Konley Cova anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Cova also set a new season high mark in rushing yards with 91. Isaac Martin was another major factor on D, picking up 0.5 sacks, making nine total tackles (2.0 for loss), and making nine total tackles (2.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception.
Lincoln's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Wheatland, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Lincoln has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 224.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wheatland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 192.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Lincoln's way against Wheatland in their previous meeting back in September of 2017 as Lincoln made off with a 36-12 victory. Does Lincoln have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wheatland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
