Sandy Creek dominates battle of the Cougars

Sandy Creek steamrolls Central Valley 44-8 in battle of highly ranked 8-man teams Friday, moves to 3-1 overall

What was thought to be a “Clash of the Titans” instead became a night of all big nights for Sandy Creek, as the Sandy Creek Cougars, ranked third in Class D-1, dominated the Central Valley Cougars, the top-ranked team in Class D-3.

Powered by a 22-point second quarter and a well-balanced offensive attack, Sandy Creek claimed the battle of the Cougars in convincing style, taking down the unbeaten Central Valley squad 44-8 in front of Sandy Creek’s home crowd on Homecoming night for SC.

Sandy Creek jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after junior quarterback Kamerin Sealey scored on a 26-yard run late in the first quarter. Sealey then hit senior Wes Biltoft for the two-point conversion to give SC the 8-0 lead with 1:19 left on the first-quarter clock.

Moving to the powerful second quarter for Sandy Creek, the Cougars opened the second frame with Sealey and senior Logan Tomky hooking up for a 63-yard touchdown pass at the 7:56 mark of the quarter. Another Sealey-to-Biltoft two-point conversion lifted Sandy Creek to a 16-0 lead.

With 4:56 left in the second quarter, Sealey ripped off another big play against the Central Valley defense, scoring on a 66-yard run, giving Sandy Creek a 22-0 lead after a missed conversion.

Sealey then sealed up the first half of play with a oneyard run into the end zone, and again hit Biltoft on a two-point conversion pass to set the Cougars up with a 30-0 halftime lead.

In the second half of play, Central Valley finally hit paydirt just over four minutes into the third quarter with a 34-yard run into the end zone, setting the game at a 30-8 Sandy Creek lead.

The big plays kept coming for Sandy Creek, as Sealey and Alex Watts connected for a 68-yard touchdown pass, and after a failed conversion, Sandy Creek held a commanding 36-8 lead with 3:06 remaining in the third.

The final score for Sandy Creek proved to be a four-yard touchdown run for Wyatt Livgren with 5:27 left in the game, with Sealey and Biltoft again connecting for the two-point conversion, giving Sandy Creek the 44-8 lead and eventual win, as the game ended early, thanks to Mother Nature cutting the game short due to lightning strikes in the area.

BYTHE NUMBERS

Sandy Creek’s balanced offensive attack produced 221 passing yards and 214 rushing yards in the win for a total of 435 yards.

Sealey was 10-for-14 passing in the big win. Tomky led the receiving attack, catching four passes for 88 yards and the second-quarter touchdown bomb.

Alex Watts grabbed the 68-yard third quarter touchdown strike from Sealey and finished the game with two catches for 75 yards. Livgren hauled in two passes for 23 yards, Biltoft made one catch for 21 yards, while Wyatt Hemberger had one catch for 14 yards.

The rushing attack was led by Sealey, who gained191 yards on 19 carries and scored three times while Livgren scored once while gaining 23 yards on six carries.

Although final tackle numbers were unavailable, the Sandy Creek defense held Central Valley to just 48 yards passing, while CV was just 6-18 in the passing game. On the ground, Central Valley rushed for 206 total yards on 36 carries.

Score by Quarters

Sandy Creek...................... 8 22 6 8 -44 Central Valley.................... 0 0 8 0 -8 SC CV

Rush Att-Yds 25-214 36-206 Pass Comp-Att-Yds..............10-14-221 6-18-48 Total Offense............................ 435 254

THISWEEK

With the big win over Central Valley, Sandy Creek will now hit the road to take on Arcadia/Loup City this week in Loup City this Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.

A/LC holds an 0-4 record with losses to Alma (8-6), West Holt (36-22), Amherst (30-6), and to Elm Creek (18-8).