By Con Marshall
It won’t be a battle of unbeaten teams, but the Chadron-Sidney football game to be played Friday night at Cardinal Field will still be among the most important Class C-1 matchups in the state as the regular season ends. Kickoff will be at 7 o’clock.
After being nipped by Gering 23-20, the Cardinals are 7-1. They dropped just one place to fifth in the Lincoln Journal Star’s rankings, while Sidney remains third with its 8-0 mark. Any time two top five teams meet, it’s a significant contest.
The significance includes power points, playoff seedings and home field advantages. The Cardinals are “on the bubble” after its setback, but because Gering is a Class B team with a winning record, all will not be down the drain even if Sidney continues its winning ways.
To be sure, the Red Raiders are an outstanding team. Coached by Ryan Smith, once a Chadron State College defensive back, the Raiders’ closest game was the 22-13 win over Cozad in the season-opener. They also topped Minden 20-6 the next week, before blanking both Holdrege and Mitchell 42-0.
Next up, Sidney defeated Gothenburg 21-10, followed by a 46-0 shutout of Ogallala, and victories over Chase County and Alliance 35-12 and 48-14 the past two weeks.
The Cardinals have disposed of each of the common rivals by similar margins. The Red Birds had defeated all of their opponents by at least 16 points (22-6 vs. Gothenburg) through the first seven games.
Cards’ coach Michael Sandstrom has great respect for Sidney’s team.
“They are an excellent and well-coached team,” he said. “I am most impressed with their overall team speed at every level. They are good both against the run and the pass. Therefore, we have been challenged to come up with some schemes to be successful.”
The Raiders’ quarterback is junior Alek Doty, brother of last year’s Class C-1 all-state quarterback, Isak Doty. Alek has completed 90 of 137 passes (65.7%) for 1,683 yards and 22 touchdowns. He’s been picked off just three times, and also has carried the ball 105 times for 635 yards and 10 TDs to lead the team in rushing.
Aside from Doty, the leading rusher is senior Owen Gillham with 103 totes for 578 yards and two TDs. Last fall, he was the team’s leading tackler with 90 after the Raiders ended the season with a 10-2 record following the 20-0 loss to Wahoo in the C-1 semifinals.
Another all-star is senior Landon Riddle, who has caught 37 passes for 823 yards and eight touchdowns this season. A year ago, he finished with 37 receptions, but with 150 fewer yards than his current total. One of his catches in 2023 was a 59-yarder for a TD against the Cardinals during the Raiders’ 40-21 victory. Riddle also led the Panhandle’s 11-man teams with six interceptions last fall.
Entering Friday night’s game, Sidney has picked off 11 passes this fall.
Among the linemen, fans will undoubtedly notice is Austin Christensen, who is 6-4, 320 pounds, and is “difficult to move,” according to Sidney Sun-Telegraph sports editor Mike Motz. Imagine that!