The Wauneta-Palisade Broncos will venture away from home to challenge the Southwest Roughriders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Wauneta-Palisade is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Sumner-Eddyville-Miller on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Broncos took a blow against the Mustangs, falling 63-33. The Broncos haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Kreyton Wiese and Jordan Scoville. Scoville had a great game and gained 336 total yards and seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, Wiese was balling out in the loss, rushing for 146 yards and a pair of TDs.
Meanwhile, Southwest put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 61-14 victory over Medicine Valley. Given the Roughriders' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska football rankings (they are ranked ninth, while the Raiders are ranked 83rd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wauneta-Palisade better keep an eye on Houston Billeter. He was instrumental in Southwest's win, rushing for 60 yards and two scores, while also throwing for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Billeter a new career-high in passer rating (177.1). Deric Kelley was in the mix too, providing Southwest with two TDs.
Southwest's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. In that department, Gage Hammond was the leader with two sacks. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last four games he's played. Southwest received some extra help from Kelley, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Southwest's win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Wauneta-Palisade, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Wauneta-Palisade has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 297.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 156.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Wauneta-Palisade couldn't quite finish off Southwest in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 and fell 41-39. Can the Broncos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
