Sidney Downs Alliance 48-14 to Stay Undefeated

SIDNEY--The temperature dropped into the low 40's Friday night and there was a lot of moisture in the windy air, but it did not cool off the red-hot Sidney Red Raiders as they easily defeated rival Alliance 48-to-14 at Weymouth Field in Sidney. The Red Raiders move to 8-and-0, and hold the top spot in District C1-7 as rival Chadron was given their first loss of the season by Gering, dropping the Cardinals to 7-and-1 on the year, and spoiling a "battle of the undefeated's" match-up this coming Friday in Chadron. Sidney is now ranked #2 in Class C-1, behind undefeated Wahoo, who earns the top spot due to a superior points scored/given up ratio.

Friday night's battle with the Alliance Bulldogs followed a familiar script, with a few twists thrown in for good measure. Alliance started on offense with the ball at their 25-yard line, and Sidney's stout defense shut down their first drive and forced a punt, earning the Red Raiders their eighth consecutive three-and-out defensive stand on opponent's opening drives this season. A short punt gave Sidney the ball on the Bulldog's 33-yard line, and after converting on a fourth down and 2 attempt, Sidney drove down inside the Bulldog's one yard-line, where Doty punched it in for a touchdown with a short run. The Red Raiders were up 7-to-0 with 6:22 left in the first quarter, and already in command of the contest.

Sidney forced another three-and-out on Alliance's next possession and started their second drive on the Bulldog's 40 yard-line. Sidney had their only unsuccessful drive of the first half when junior quarterback Alek Doty was tackled for a loss on a fourth down and one play. After losing six yards on their first two downs, Alliance almost picked up a first down in their next possession with a 14-yard screen pass to running back Trini Trejo, but their drive ended with a punt. Sidney started their third drive on their 41 yard-line, and marched down the field quickly, with a big gain on a jet-sweep by senior Reid Fiscus followed by a pass completion to senior Patrick McCartney that he took 45 yards for a touchdown to expand the Sidney lead to 14-to-0.

Alliance's next drive was stopped when Fiscus intercepted a pass and ran it back 28 yards for another touchdown, putting Sidney up 21-to-0 in the final seconds of the first quarter. Fiscus intercepted another pass in the second quarter to stop Alliance, and Sidney again drove down the field and punched the ball into the end zone when Doty found junior Tight End Keian Kaiser open for a 13-yard tougchdown pass to move the score to 28-to-0. Alliance fared no better on the next possession when senior Landon Riddle intercepted another pass and returned it from the 30-yard line for another Sidney touchdown to move the score to 35-to-0 at the 8:02 mark of the second quarter. After another three-and-out, Sidney scored again on a 23-yard touchdown run by Doty, and following a missed point after kick, the score was 41-to-0 in Sidney's favor.

The second half started with a running clock as Alliance was down by more than 35 points, and the onslaught continued as junior Lance Holly received the second-half opening kick at the Sidney 21 and ran it back for a touchdown to move the score to 48-to-0. Alliance was able to drive on their next possession, but Fiscus picked off his third pass of the night, deep in Sidney's territory, to stop the threat. Sidney played its substitutes for most of the second half, and Alliance was finally able to put up a touchdown late in the third quarter and added another score as time expired in the fourth quarter to end the game in a 48-to-14 Sidney victory. Doty completed 10 of 14 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 47 yards and two touchdowns. Kaiser and McCartney each had a touchdown reception, Reid Fiscus had three interceptions and Landon Riddle had one.

Sidney next travels up to Chadron to take on the 7-and-1 Cardinals on Friday, October 25, at 7 p.m. Chadron was defeated by Gering on the road last Friday. The Gering team converted a pair of two-point conversions which ended up being the difference in the game. Even with the loss, Chadron is a dangerous opponent and will be a big test for Sidney who has had their way with all the other teams they have faced on the schedule. Chadron is led by standout senior running back Quinn Bailey, who has averaged 260.5 yards per game and has scored 26 rushing touchdowns. They have a strong offensive line composed of five seniors who have been playing together since kindergarten. It will be a big test for a Sidney defense that so far has shut down every opponent they have faced.