Sidney goes into Grand Island to face Northwest

After getting back in the win column at home last week against Lexington, the Sidney High football team sqaures off against the Vikings of Northwest High School in Grand Island today at 6 p.m. MDT.

Sidney (4-1) knows it's in for another stern test tonight. The Vikings (3-2) are ranked No. 42 in the state according to MaxPreps.com and are coming off a 45-40 loss on the road against Scottsbluff. The Red Raiders come into this game ranked No. 12.

Sidney will again be without its senior workhorse running back Chance Anglin, who is out with a lower leg injury for the second straight week.

The Vikings are a balanced offensive team. Junior Christian Ellsworth, their 6-foot, 4-inch quarterback, has completed 65 of 97 passes on the season for 852 yards and nine TDs and just three interceptions. He's a bit of a slinger and has targets all over the field to look for, namely senior wide out Taylor Willis, who has 291 yards and six TDs on just 22 receptions.

But the Sidney defense can't devote too much of its focus to Ellsworth's passing game. The Vikings also boast an elite rusher of their own in senior Ty Johnson. He has 534 yards and four touchdowns on 87 carries. Ellsworth is also fairly mobile, having accumulated 134 yards and a score on 38 runs.

For the Red Raiders, this is a matchup quite similar to that of Hastings three weeks ago. The Tigers utilized both a vicious passing game and a steady, pounding running attack.

You can expect much of the same against the Vikings, with a little more emphasis on the ground rather than through the air. GINW is averaging a shade over 44 points per game. They consistently move the ball well and can score in bunches.

Against Lexington last week, Sidney quarterback Lane Harvey only threw five passes as the Raiders rode junior backs Jake Heeren and Hunter Secrest for 262 combined yards on 32 carries.

Sidney head coach Todd Ekart said he wants to incorporate more spread formations into a passing game that he expects to be more prominent against the Vikings.

"Last week we were able to run without much of a pass threat," Ekart said. "We have looked real good this week in group and team time in the passing game. It is something that really adds another dimension to our offensive attack."

The Red Raiders will again rely on Heeren and Secrest to gain tough yards on the ground and keep the Vikings' defense honest.

But Sidney will need its full offensive arsenal if it wants to leave Grand Island with a "W" against a solid team.