The North Central Knights will face off against the St. Mary's Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. North Central has given up an average of 61.5 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Friday, North Central was beaten by Ainsworth 71-6. The loss continues a trend for the Knights in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost four in a row.
Even if they lost, North Central's defensive line still kept up the pressure with six sacks. Ainsworth's QB won't forget Collin Hagan anytime soon given he sacked him 2.5 times.
Meanwhile, St. Mary's put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game with ease, bagging a 63-6 victory over Elgin/Pope John. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 49-0.
North Central better keep an eye on Gage Hedstrom. He was instrumental in St. Mary's win, rushing for 102 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also throwing for 181 yards and four TDs. Hedstrom also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making ten total tackles (3.0 for loss) and defending one pass. Another player making a difference was Keigan Couch, who rushed for 81 yards and one score.
St. Mary's run defense was locked in: Elgin/Pope John could only muster 3.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Hedstrom for the heroic effort on defense: he. St. Mary's didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.1.
St. Mary's didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Ben Barlow.
St. Mary's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for North Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.
North Central took a serious blow against St. Mary's in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 66-20. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hedstrom, who rushed for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only five carries, and also threw for 80 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that the Knights know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.