Raiders primed for tilt with Seward

The Sidney High School football team finished with a 7-2 record this season and qualified for the Nebraska Class B state tournament. The Red Raiders open play Friday against Seward at Concordia University, Nebraska at 6 p.m. (MDT).

The Sidney High football team will make its second consecutive appearance in the NSAA Class B state playoffs on Friday night, when it faces the No. 8 seeded Seward Bluejays in the first round.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m. MDT at Concordia University, Nebraska in Seward.

The eighth-seeded Red Raiders are coming off a 48-0 spanking of district-rival Gering to complete a 7-2 regular season, while the Bluejays (7-2) came away with a 30-22 victory on the road against Grand Island-Northwest last week.

SIDNEY ON OFFENSE

The Red Raiders are in for what should be their toughest game this season, and they’ll need to lean on their deep, multi-skilled backfield to rev up their offense.

With Chance Anglin back in the fold, the load on juniors Jake Heeren and Hunter Secrest should be lessened. Sidney knows it has three capable backs who can gain yards on the ground to set up quarterback Lane Harvey and a selective passing game. Senior all-purpose back Michael Muggli is another home run hitter who can gain the edge and use his speed to beat defenders downfield.

All in all, Anglin, Heeren, Secrest and Muggli have combined for 2,245 yards and 35 of the team’s 50 offensive touchdowns this season. But much of that credit goes to the offensive line, which is in for a battle Friday night.

“The running game is crucial for us,” said senior lineman Jake Sager. “I think it’s our main source of yards, so blocking will be key. They’ve (Seward) got a couple big boys up there so we’ll have to play our best.”

If that group can find some traction running the ball, the secondary should open for Harvey, who has thrown for 989 yards and seven TDs against six interceptions. Harvey has the ability to extend plays and has a knack for making clutch throws, usually to junior Tyler Wintholz, who has been his favorite target in 2014. Wintholz has hauled in 28 passes for 544 yards and all seven of Harvey’s scoring passes. Muggli and sophomore Alex Linneman are also threats on the outside if the defense elects to double up on Wintholz.

SEWARD ON DEFENSE

Seward’s defense might be the stingiest Sidney has faced this season. The Blue Jays surrendered an average of just 14.3 points per game over nine games. Depth and an athletic, skilled secondary is the strength of the Seward defensive unit.

Senior Ben Klenke was been a ball hawk this season, intercepting seven passes. He has the range to match the speed of the Sidney receivers. As a unit, Seward’s defense boasts seven players who recorded 30 or more tackles on the year. Josh Behlen, a 6-1, 201-pound junior linebacker, led the team in tackles with 61. He will be Seward’s driving force in countering Sidney’s by-committee rushing attack.

SEWARD ON OFFENSE

Seward’s offense relies on balance, featuring a main rusher in senior Chance Stevenson and a gun-slinging passer in senior Reid Karel.

Unlike the Red Raiders, the Bluejays don’t possess an impressive level of depth in its backfield. Stevenson has run for 838 yards and 15 TDs, but the second-leading rusher is Seth Majerus, who has just 304 yards.

Karel is a mobile quarterback with the ability to escape the pocket and pick up short yardage on keepers. He’ll rely on his arm – one that threw for 1,531 yards and 11 TDs to just two interceptions this year – to get the job done.

While Sidney has the edge with its backfield, Seward gets the nod in the passing game. Klenke has caught 27 passes for 679 yards and five scores. He is Seward’s version of Wintholz – tall, possesses good hands and is explosive downfield.

Lined up on the opposite side is senior Cale Wagner, who has 22 catches, 437 yards and a pair of TDs. He’ll command the respect of whichever Sidney corner or safety covers him.

SIDNEY ON DEFENSE

The Raiders have their work cut out for them in this matchup. Seward is balanced offensive team that isn’t afraid to lean on either Stevenson’s running game or Karel’s air raid exclusively.

The Bluejays’ relatively shallow backfield should allow the Raider defenders to key in more on Stevenson early in the game. But, they can also expect passes to fly earlier than they might be used to.

The Raiders will need strong efforts from their linebacker corps to slow down Stevenson. Seniors Kevin Jurgensen and Brian Rolls have combined for 134 tackles on the season and should be up to the task.

“Obviously he’s (Stevenson) a hard runner, a good running back and a great athlete,” Jurgensen said. “As long as we tackle low and play hard, we should be just fine.”

“We’ve got to focus on our fundamentals, keep our feet moving,” Rolls said. “Fly to the ball, fly to the ball, fly to the ball.”

It will be tough for the Raider secondary to double up on Klenke because of the presence of Wagner as a legitimate threat in the passing game. Sidney has the athletes to stay in front of those wideouts, or at least challenge them physically on the line.

The Raiders need to hold either the Bluejay running game or the passing game at bay. If both bust out, Sidney’s chances in this game slip quickly.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Raiders rely primarily on the trio of Anglin, Muggli and Linneman for kickoff returns. All three are dangerous and have the speed to rip off yards to get their offense in good field position. On punt returns, Harvey is the main threat.

The Blue Jays have a few more guys than Sidney who are capable of being return threats. The main two to look out for are Klenke and Wagner. Wagner has two kickoff returns for 113 yards and a pair of punt returns for 46 yards.