Sidney crushes Adams Central, 43-6, moves to 2-0

Despite being penalized 11 times for 80 yards, the Sidney Red Raiders stomped their way to another impressive win-this time by a score of 43-6 over Adams Central on their homecoming Friday night at Weymouth Field. The Red Raiders are now 2-0 to start the season.

Penalties have been just about the only weak spot in the Red Raiders' armor so far this year. In their season opening game against Chadron, Sidney lost 78 yards on eight penalties. Still the Red Raiders have managed to score 91 points in their first two contests, fueled several big-gain plays.

Many Sidney people thought Adams Central would present a bit more of challenge than Chadron did. That wasn't the case at all Friday night-the Patriots were immediately stifled by Sidney's defense and only collected 89 yards for the game.  Meanwhile the Red Raider offense didn't need much time to get into full gear.

Sidney quickly set the tone of the game.  Senior running back Chance Anglin put the seal on a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run to give Sidney an 8-0 lead after the two-point conversion.  

It wasn't a flawless first possession for the Raiders. They incurred two penalties and allowed a sack of senior quarterback Lane Harvey, the first of the season. But they gained positive yards on nine of their 10 plays and moved the ball down field methodically. 

The Patriots fumbled the ball on the first play of their first possession of the game. Junior running back/linebacker Hunter Secrest pounced on the ball, giving Sidney excellent field position on the Adams Central 23 yard line. Four plays later Anglin found the end zone again, this time from eight yards out. After the two point conversion, the Raiders went up 16-0 with 6:35 left in the first quarter.

Anglin, playing in only 24 minutes, collected 112 rushing yards on 14 hand offs and two scores. He credited much of his success to the fantastic run blocking by his offensive line and receivers throughout the game. 

"The edge was really getting sealed well," Anglin, who was crowned the 2014 Homecoming King at halftime, said. "Everyone's blocking was outstanding and even when I looked for the cutback, our line had everyone stretch blocked out so everything worked out nicely."

Sidney's defense then forced a quick Patriots' three and out and just over a minute later, got the ball back for its third possession of the game. Harvey showed off his legs with a 16-yard run to the home sideline and also found junior wideout Tyler Wintholz for a 13-yard strike. This time, Secrest did the honors with a 21-yard touchdown-breaking a handful of tackles along the way-to hand Sidney a 24-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the first. 

The Patriots' sixth play of the game came with 3:47 left in the first. They only managed six yards in its next three plays only 14 yards in the first quarter. Over the course of the first half, their offense became one-dimensional as quarterback Brecken Reed completed only one of his nine first half passes. Reed finished the game with just 43 yards on 4 for 14 through the air.

Secrest scored his second touchdown of the evening with a strong 7-yard run up the middle. After a failed two-point conversion, Sidney led 30-0 with 10:14 left in the first half. 

Senior running back Michael Muggli dominated the next drive with 29 total yards, including a six-yard touchdown run that put Sidney ahead 37-0 following the extra point-kicker Jake Heeren's first of the year.

Four minutes and 57 seconds later, Muggli scored again on a sweeping 16-yard dash to the outside, putting the Raiders ahead 43-0 just before the half. Muggli would finish the game with 59 yards and a pair of scores on seven carries. 

Sidney's first turnover of the year came by way of a fumble by junior running back Josh Austed and it cost them. The Patriots recovered on Sidney's 35 yard line and finally got on the scoreboard with 3:10 left in the third quarter when junior back Kyler Wormstadt broke the plane with a one-yard run. 

The Patriots missed the extra point and trailed 43-6. Like last week, Sidney head coach Todd Ekart had pulled his starting offense and defense at halftime and the Patriots were finally able to move the ball better against a weaker Raider unit on defense. 

To be fair though, Adams Central kept its starting offense in the game long after it was decided. 

Still, Ekart says he wants to see more defensively from his backups.

"I thought our first string guys did excellent," Ekart said. "But our second and thirds need to prepare a bit better." 

Sidney's multi-faceted rushing attack spearheaded its offense throughout the night. Raider backs totaled 280 yards and accounted for all six touchdowns on 46 carries for a very nice 6.08 yards-per-carry average.

Harvey didn't light up the opposing secondary this week, but was still efficient, going five for eight with 62 yards. 

Ekart said that wasn't necessarily the game plan. But you can't complain when you see a "43" on your side of the scoreboard.

"We just took what they [the Adams Central defense] gave us," Ekart said. "Being more two-dimensional has allowed us to run or pass depending on the defensive alignment."

Speaking of defense-the Sidney starting defense is currently pitching a shutout so far this season. The starters have yet to allow a single point.

It'll be interesting to see if the Raiders can continue that scoreless streak when they travel to Hastings to face the 1-1 Tigers this Friday.