State berth on line for Sidney versus Gering

After using a 22-point fourth quarter to take down Alliance in a dogfight last week, the Sidney High football team heads to Gering tonight for its regular-season finale.

The Red Raiders (6-2, 1-1) need a win to clinch a spot in the Class B state playoffs.

The 16-team state tournament starts Friday, Oct. 31. The eight division winners are guaranteed a spot in the field, but the seeding is done strictly by power points. Scottsbluff would lock up the District 8 title with a victory tonight against Alliance.

Sidney – fighting for second place in the district – could use a convincing win against Gering to boost their seeding in the Class B bracket. The Red Raiders are treating tonight’s game against Gering as a playoff game in and of itself.

Despite Gering’s winless record, Sidney isn’t taking the Bulldogs lightly.

Still, this is an unfavorable matchup for Gering, even with Sidney’s senior running back Chance Anglin out for the fifth straight week. Sidney is the second-best offense that the Bulldogs’ porous defense, which has surrendered 375 points over its first eight games, will have seen all season.

Gering has only scored 54 points this year and most of the damage has been done by junior running back Deion Contreras. He has 570 yards on 176 carries and two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs’ passing game has struggled this season too, as junior quarterback Austin Hoffman has thrown nine interceptions to just three TDs. He’s only completed 67 of his 126 passes this season for 657 yards.

If you do the math, it’s easy to see that Gering’s passing game relies on the big play downfield. Sophomore wideout Chris Palomo has 15 catches for 267 yards and a pair of scores, while senior receiver Quentin Timblin has caught 17 passes for 152 yards. Together, those two have accumulated for nearly half of Hoffman’s completions and almost two-thirds of his yardage.

Sidney head coach Todd Ekart says he isn’t telling his defense to focus on anything in particular with Gering’s offense.

“We aren’t really keying in on anything,” Ekart said. “We just want our kids to line up right and play hard.”

For the Red Raider offense, Gering’s defense shouldn’t be difficult to solve.

The Bulldogs have conceded 40 or more points six times this year and 50 or more three times. Balance has always been the key for Sidney’s success with the ball.

Expect a regular dose of junior running back Jake Heeren. A third consecutive 200-yard game is entirely possible for him, and he’s on pace to finish with close to 1,000 yards this season.

Junior back Hunter Secrest, who injured his ankle in last week’s game, will be a game-time decision.