Sidney rushes past Chase County for first win

What a difference a week makes!  The Sidney Red Raider football team rushed for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns on the way to a 27-18 win over the Chase County Longhorns on Friday night in Imperial. It was a stark contrast to the 9 total yards rushing the Raiders had the week before against Bridgeport at Weymouth Field. Sidney finished the night with a pair of 100-yard rushers as Brady Robb totaled 128 yards on 21 carries and Nathan Kennedy tallied 119 yards on 20 carries.

It looked like it might be another long night for Sidney early, as Chase County won the toss and deferred their option to the second half. After the Raiders were unable to generate any offense on their first possession, Chase County wasted little time putting up their first score of the game. Chase Rowley broke loose from 53 yards out on the Longhorns third play from scrimmage to cap a 66-yard drive to take an early lead. The 2-point conversion failed, but Chase County is 6-0.

As they did all night, Sidney countered with a drive of their own. Beginning at the Sidney 32, the Raiders pounded their way into Chase County territory I five plays, but faced a third down and one at the Longhorn 45. Running back Nathan Kennedy cut off right tackle for 24 yards to keep the Raider alive. Kennedy went up the middle for 10 more yards on the next play and Sidney had a first down at the Chase County 19. Four plays later, quarterback Nolan Hofrock scored from 3 yards out to tie the game. Connor Hartzler’s PAT was blocked so the score remained 6-6.

Sidney’s defense shut down the Longhorns next series, allowing Chase County only 6 yards on three plays. Dawson Mollender’s 24-yard punt gave Sidney the ball at their own 48 yard line. The Raiders needed just five plays to drive to the Longhorn 31 and set up fullback Brady Robb’s scamper around left end to cap Sidney’s second straight scoring drive. This time, Hartzler’s PAT was good, and the Raiders had their first lead at 13-6.

Chase Rowley’s 33-yard return on the ensuing kickoff gave Chase County great field position at their own 48. Quarterback Ryan Bernhardt ripped off 20 yards around left end on the Longhorns second play of the drive, but from there Sidney’s defense caused Chase County to lose ground. Bernhardt lost 2 yards to the 34 on first down, then 3 more to the 37 on second down. On third and 15, Bernhardt dropped back to pass and was chased down by defensive end Paul Kratzer and tackle Tucker Meyer for a 16-yard loss. Dawson Mollender’s punt travelled only 13 yards and then took a Sidney bounce to set the Raiders up in Chase County territory at the 49.

Sidney moved the ball 15 yards on 5 plays, but faced a third and six on the Longhorn 34. Hofrock threw a high pass down the right sideline for Zack Burk and the senior wide receiver hauled it in to set up first and goal at the 7. Kennedy went off left tackle for Sidney’s third score in a row and a 20-6 halftime lead.

As good as Sidney’s first half was, the Longhorn’s third quarter was enough to get Chase County back into the game. The Longhorns received the second half kickoff and used less than three minutes to drive 84 yards and cut the Sidney lead down to 20-12.

Sidney’s first drive after intermission stalled after 16 yards and the Raiders were forced to punt the ball back to Chase County. Brady Robb’s 35-yard punt pinned the Longhorns at their 20 yard line. Once again it required only 8 plays for Chase County to cut into the Raider lead. Facing third and three at the Sidney 48, quarterback Ryan Bernhardt run up the middle to make it a one-score game. For the third time in the ballgame, Chase County’s 2-point conversion failed, but the Sidney lead was trimmed to 20-18.

That’s when Sidney engineered the most impressive drive of the night. Starting at their own 18 with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter, Sidney ran the ball on all but one play on a 15-play drive to the end zone. On the drive, the Raiders converted four third downs and consumed over eight minutes to take a 2-score lead, 27-18. Sidney’s fired up defense allowed only 22 total yards on the Longhorns next two possessions to secure the Raiders first win of the season.

Sidney returns home next Friday to host 2-0 Cozad. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Weymouth Field and will be broadcast on KSID 1340 AM and 95.7 FM, “The Fort.” The game will also be streamed live on News Channel Nebraska TV.