SIDNEY – A much anticipated C1-7 District matchup occurred at Weymouth Field in Sidney on Friday night. The 5-0 Sidney Red Raiders, coming off a big road win over McCook last week hosting the 4-1 Chadron Cardinals, coming off of a 28-20 win over ranked Gothenburg team at home. Right from the kickoff, it was clear that this game would be a battle of grit and determination.

Sidney's defense set the tone early, forcing the Cardinals into a quick three and out on their first two possessions. The Red Raider offense got the ball rolling with an impressive 8-play, 56-yard drive on their first possession, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown run by Luke Holly. Unfortunately, the PAT was missed, leaving the score at Sidney 6, Chadron 0.

Chadron, however, wasn't going to let Sidney run away with it. On just their second play of the Cardinals third drive, Broc Berry connected with Trey Hendrickson on a 48-yard touchdown pass, and after a successful PAT, Chadron took the lead, 7-6, with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Sidney's defense stepping up again, holding Chadron at the Red Raider 34-yard line on downs. Sidney, who has made the big play their trademark this season, opened the second quarter with a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Isak Doty to junior Landon Riddle. The PAT was missed once more, but Sidney regained the lead at 12-7, a lead they would hold onto.

Sidney's defense forced a punt on Chadron's next drive, and it turned out to be a costly one for the Cardinals, with just a 12-yard punt. Sidney took advantage. Beginning at their own 35-yard line the Red Raiders embarked on a 7-play scoring drive. Doty threw his second touchdown pass, this time a four-yarder to Patrick McCartney in the back of the end zone, and with a successful PAT, Sidney led 19-7 going into halftime.

The second half started with Sidney taking control, as they marched 77 yards in 8 plays, capped off by an Isak Doty ran for an 8-yard touchdown. Sidney had extended their lead to 26-7. Chadron wasn't giving up, though, and answered with a 10-play drive of their own. Quinn Bailey, with 17 rushing touchdowns to his name this season, scored his only TD of the night on a 16-yard run, bringing Chadron within 26-14.

However, Sidney took control of the game on their next two possessions. Doty capped a 65-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown run, to give the Red Raiders a 33-14 lead with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. Sidney didn't stop there and extended their lead by opening the final period with another touchdown, a 9-yard run by Luke Holly to complete a 54-yard, 6-play drive. The score was now 40-14 with 9:05 remaining.

Chadron managed to add one more score when Broc Berry found junior Tobin Rust with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 6:23 remaining in the game, making the final score Sidney 40, Chadron 21.

Sidney finished the night with 408 yards of total offense, including 295 yards rushing and 113 yards passing. Luke Holly was the standout, rushing for 171 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. Isak Doty had four touchdowns on the night, rushing for 112 yards and two TDs, and 113 yards on 7 of 14 passing and two more scores.

 Chadron had 303 total yards, with 136 yards coming on the ground and 167 from passing. Quinn Bailey led their rushing attack with 140 yards on 26 carries, and quarterback Broc Berry went 8 of 16 passing for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

With this victory, the Sidney Red Raiders improved their record to a perfect 6-0 and are now 2-0 in district play. Meanwhile, the Chadron Cardinals fell to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the C1-7 District.

Sidney will have a non-district game next Friday when they host 3-3 Cozad at Weymouth Field, while the Cardinals will entertain 4-2 Ogallala in C1-7 District action. Kickoff for Sidney’s game against the Haymakers is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.