Heeren, Secrest pacing Sidney on the ground

The Sidney High football team is 2-0 in the games that senior running back Chance Anglin has been sidelined with a lower leg injury.

Without their biggest playmaker in the backfield, the Red Raiders were tested to move the ball at times in both of those contests.

Without an explosive 74-yard TD run up the middle or a powerful 50-yard, two-broken tackle scoring run down the sideline, the wins weren't quite as flashy, but they were victories nonetheless.

But if depth is the name of the game, Sidney knows how to play quite well. The Red Raiders certainly miss Anglin and he will be sorely needed if the team has hopes of making an extended playoff run.

Sidney head coach Todd Ekart says Anglin is looking better, but won't be returning soon.

"Chance is showing progess, but is still a long way from playing," Ekart said. "His type of injury differs from person to person."

But it the meantime, juniors Jake Heeren and Hunter Secrest have done just about as well as anyone could have hoped for in patching up the hole left by Anglin's absence.

With the way Heeren has run the ball over the last two weeks, the thought of him ever being a little shaken about taking over the A-back spot for Anglin probably didn't cross peoples' mind.

"The first game I knew Chance was going to be out, I was a little nervous," Heeren said. "I just knew I had to step up in that game."

Anglin's first missed game was Sept. 26 at home game against Lexington. Until that point, Heeren had only collected 90 yards on 13 carries over the first four games. He wasn't the focus of the Red Raiders' ground game while Anglin was healthy.

But in the last two weeks, he's more than tripled his season yardage with just 29 more carries. Against Lexington and Northwest-Grand Island combined, he ran for 195 yards and three scores on those 29 carries. His great

combination of size and power have made him exceedingly tough to bring down, as he fights for yards every handoff.

Secrest adds the same element to the Sidney offense, minus the 6-foot, 3-inch and 220-pound frame that Heeren boasts. In the Lexington and GINW games, Secrest used his punishing downhill running style to rack up 220 yards and four TDs on 33 touches.

The Sidney coaches have done nice job trying to balance Heeren's and Secrest's running styles to keep the two fresh but also to give the opposing defenses different looks.

Still, Secrest says he's had to adjust to a much higher workload of carries since Anglin has been out.

"Chance makes it a lot easier when he plays," Secrest said. "Jake and I have been doing pretty well and I get beat up a bit but it isn't too bad."

Secrest admits he was also a little jittery when he learned he would have to step up in a big way without Anglin. But just like Heeren, no one would be able to tell by his results on the field.

"I was pretty nervous," Secrest said. "I took over for Chance at B-back and I haven't played the position since eighth grade. But Chance has been helping me out and giving me advice in certain situations to help me to get used to it."

Together, Heeren and Secrest have complied 415 rushing yards in the last two weeks – more than half of Sidney's total offensive output in that time. What's more revealing however, is that the two have scored seven of the team's 10 touchdowns over the last two games. The duo is getting the job done, especially when it counts and points are on the line in the red zone.

Sidney's offensive line deserves a share of the credit as well. As a unit, the line has blocked well over the last couple of

weeks, especially after the return of star two-way lineman Jake Sager. Holes have been opening up and Heeren and Secrest have been finding them.

Friday will be another obstacle on Sidney's road to a one-loss regular season. It'll face the Scottsbluff Bearcats (5-1) at home in a highly touted district showdown. Scottsbluff is ranked No. 20 in the state by MaxPreps.com, while Sidney is No. 16.

The Red Raiders are confident that Heeren and Secrest will continue their hot streaks on Friday night.