Red Raiders Run Over Bulldogs

Returning Sidney Red Raider Football Head Coach Todd Ekhart showed that his run-first approach to offense matches up well with the talent the Sidney Red Raiders possess, with the Sidney boys rushing for 360 yards on the road in their opener against Bridgeport.

The Red Raiders had five different players score touchdowns and two running backs rush for over 100 yards as the Sidney offensive line opened holes and dominated the Bridgeport defense throughout the matchup.

Sidney started the game on offense, and methodically drove the ball down the field. With senior Nathan Kennedy blasting out big runs between the tackles and sophomore speedster Luke Holly racking up yardage on the outside, the Red Raiders kept the Bulldogs guessing and off-balance throughout the drive. Junior Cam Leeling broke a run to the left side and after diving for the end zone, left the Red Raiders on the one yard line. Sophomore quarterback Isak Doty then plunged through the line for the one yard touchdown score to give Sidney the early 6-to-0 lead.

Bridgeport was able to move the ball between the twenties on Sidney, but could not get the ball through the red zone and into the end zone for points. Sidney had four solid drives in the first half, but only two scored points as the Red Raider receivers had trouble securing passes in the end zone. Sidney came out in the second half and surprised Bridgeport with an on-side kick, and recovered the ball. Sidney marched down the field, but was then hit by penalty that took them back to the 34 yard line.

However, Holly again was able to break to the outside, and ran 34 yards to paydirt and increased the Sidney lead to 20-to-0.

Bridgeport was clearly deflated at this point, going three-and-out on its’ next two possessions while Sidney again went on a long drive and increased their lead to 28-to-0 with about four minutes left in the third quarter. After their second three-and-out of the quarter, Bridgeport punted the ball back to Sidney, and another Sidney six play drive resulted in points, putting the Red Raiders up 36-to-0 and initiating the running clock for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

Both teams substituted freely in the last quarter, with freshman Reid Fiscus getting some snaps at quarterback. Bridgeport was finally able to get on the board in the waning moments of the contest, with Kason Loomis scoring a touchdown on a six yard run to end the game by a final score of 36-to-6.

For Sidney, Nathan Kennedy led the rushing attack with 130 yards on 15 carries followed by Luke Holly with 114 yards on 14 carries. The defense played very well, with penetration and hard hits by Dietrich Lecher and the solid defensive line. The only areas that Sidney did not execute well were in pass receptions and penalties. Isak Doty completed one pass for 31 yards on eight attempts while the Red Raiders had trouble reeling in catches. Sidney also had many positive plays called back by penalties. However, it was a great start to the season, and a big indicator of how this team will go about its’ business in the coming games. Sidney next hosts Chase County on Friday at 7 p.m., with the Longhorns coming in after a season-opening loss to Chadron.