By SCOTT VICKER
CNA sports editor • svicker@crestonnews.com
Each of the past three years, Lenox has entered its game with Sidney with a 3-0 record.
Sidney was 2-1 going into the game last year and 3-0 the previous two years.
Sidney has won all three of those meetings by an average score of 39-9.
Things aren’t much different this year, as Lenox enters Friday’s 7 p.m. homecoming game with a 3-0 mark, with Sidney coming in at 2-1 after last week’s 48-0 loss to Fremont-Mills.
The Tigers hope to buck the trend against the Cowboys this year.
“We think this is going to be one of our biggest tests to see where we are,” Lenox head coach Allen Dukes said. “The last three years we played them, we were 3-0. They beat us all three years. We want to change that. I think it’s going to be a dogfight for awhile until someone establishes the line and goes from there.”
Friday’s game will be a true homecoming for the Tigers, who have played on the road each of the first three weeks of the season while construction has been done on the football field and track.
The football field is finally ready to go, while there is still work to be done on the track.
“The kids are ready to play a home game,” Dukes said. “It’s big for us. Kids are excited to play on the home field for a change. It’s going to be nice for everyone. And with it being homecoming weekend and all the pageantry that goes along with that, it’s going to be exciting.”
Lenox will need to stop Sidney’s balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Cameron Whitehead is 22-of-44 passing for 234 yards with two touchdowns, while Mica Graham leads the team with 239 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries.
“The big thing is we have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Dukes said. “Mica Graham, he runs the ball hard, so we have to slow him down. But they also move him around. He may line up as a wideout. Their quarterback, Whitehead, he’s a big kid. He runs the ball hard. We just have to control the line and get everyone to gang tackle.”
With Spencer Brown and Sam Donaldson both playing well at their defensive end spots, Dukes said teams have been unable to run away from Brown. The Tigers will start Jordan David at nose guard this week, hoping to take advantage of his quickness against Sidney’s 300-pound center.
On the other side, Lenox’s balance on offense has made the Tigers tough for opposing defenses to stop.
Senior quarterback Carson Cline is completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 451 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.
Junior Jared Hensley averages 32.2 yards per reception on six catches for four touchdowns. Dillon Bennett also has six catches, while Brown has four catches and two touchdowns. Donaldson and Dawson Tullberg also have touchdown receptions.
“Carson is having a really good year,” Dukes said. “But we don’t have to rely on Spencer Brown catching the ball. We have five kids ... we have all the faith in the world they can catch the ball.”
In addition, Donaldson, Cline and Hensley each have more than 143 rushing yards, with Donaldson leading the way with 176 yards. Cline has six touchdowns. Donaldson averages 6.1 yards per carry, with Cline and Hensley each averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
District 7
In other Eight-Man action, East Union (2-1, 1-0) hosts third-ranked Glidden-Ralston in a huge test for the Eagles.
Christopher Brown leads the Wildcats with 209 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries, averaging 13.9 yards per carry. Mitchell Danzer adds 108 yards on 11 carries (9.8 average), while Oliver Conner averages 7.8 yards per carry on 11 carries with three touchdowns.
Clayton Christian has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Conner has both touchdown receptions, averaging 27.7 yards per reception on three catches.
East Union is led by Mike Ward, who has 608 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 75 carries.
Murray (1-3, 0-1) travels to Guthrie Center (1-2, 0-1) on Friday.
Guthrie Center’s leading passer and rusher TJ Wickland did not play in last week’s 79-20 loss to Coon Rapids-Bayard. Wickland has accounted for 198 passing yards and 106 rushing yards, with six total touchdowns.
Caden Wardyn ranks second in both of those categories with 128 passing yards, 79 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. Jacob Joliet is the leading receiver with nine catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns.
11-man
In Class A District 8 action, Mount Ayr (1-2, 1-0) travels Martensdale-St. Marys (0-3, 0-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.
The game is Martensdale-St. Marys’ annual “Pink Out” game. Mount Ayr football manager Mady Henson will be recognized prior to kickoff as a cancer fighter/survivor.
Martensdale-St. Marys is led by quarterback Trevor Dooley who has thrown for 122 yards this year and rushed for 52 yards. Kolton Fisk has 76 rushing yards and the team’s lone touchdown on 14 carries.
Mount Ayr features a balanced rushing attack with three players running for more than 110 yards so far. Kyle Dolecheck leads the team with 240 yards and three touchdowns, while Cal Daughton has 178 yards and two scores and Jacob Taylor has 113 yards with two touchdowns.
Nodaway Valley (1-2, 0-1) hosts Pleasantville (3-0, 1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Trojans feature a high-powered rushing attack with five players rushing for more than 120 yards so far this year. Sawyer Phillips leads the team with 185 yards, while Zeb Adreon accounts for 166 yards and Hunter Tyree has 162 yards.
Adreon has also thrown for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
In Class 1A, Southwest Valley (1-2) hosts seventh-ranked Underwood at 7 p.m. in the Timberwolves’ homecoming game.
It is a non-district matchup for Southwest Valley.
Underwood is led by quarterback Nick Pedersen, who has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 710 yards with 10 touchdowns compared to just one interception. Tyler Conn has 21 receptions for 429 yards and seven TDs. John Schnack is the leading rusher with 247 yards and five touchdowns.