Zac Hawley, Gavin Parriott

 

Leyton Behrends, Zac Hawley

 

Casen Dalinghaus on defense

JOHNSON, NE - The Johnson-Brock Eagles' football squad has looked impressive through the regular season and two playoff games, but it will only get tougher from here.

Eagles head coach Mitch Roberts told us that he was pleased with his team's effort against Anselmo-Merna in the second round of the Class D2 playoffs last week. He felt the team's blocking helped the offense get going as quarterback Sloan Pelican ran for two scores and connected with Chase Van Winkle on a pair of touchdown passes. The team did surrender a pair of Coyote touchdowns in the second half, but he felt the game was comfortably in hand.

In the quarterfinal round, Johnson-Brock draws a Sandhills/Thedford squad that dispatched Lourdes Central Catholic a week prior, 52-12. The Eagles beat LCC during the regular season, 47-0. Sandhills/Thedford also played Anselmo-Merna during the regular season, notching a 63-36 win. The similarities don't end there, as both the Eagles & Knights have high-scoring offensive attacks. Sandhills/Thedford is scoring just under 55 points a game this year, while Johnson-Brock is at nearly 52. Defensively, each team has over 20 takeaways this season, but The Eagles are limiting opponents to roughly seven points per game, while the Knights have surrendered about 21 a contest.

Sandhills/Thedford's leading threat is the head coach's son, Kyle Cox. Cox leads all players in the state with 314 points scored this season - nearly 60 points (or ten touchdowns) ahead of second place. Cox is second in total yards at 2,931 and third in rushing yards. Coach Roberts of the Eagles says the offensive line is fast & strong for the Knights, and his team needs to make Cox earn every yard he gets. Coach Roberts also noted that the defensive line will be one of the largest they've faced this season.

Kickoff in this quarterfinal contest is slated for 4pm Friday, November 3, on B103 & online at http://player.listenlive.co/58521.