Red Raiders turn focus to Lexington, aim to recover

The Sidney High football team is ready to get back to work tonight after a tough road loss last week to state powerhouse McCook, and they'll have to do it without one of their top players.

Standing in its way are the Lexington Minutemen, who come into Weymouth Field with a 3-1 record. Kickoff is 6 p.m.

Sidney head coach Todd Ekart said that his team has had a very productive week at practice and that his players are ready to put the McCook loss behind them and try to get back on track.

"We have been looking good," Ekart said. "Players are stepping up and really preparing well."

The Red Raiders will indeed be counting on a few players to step up in a big way tonight. Star senior running back Chance Anglin, who has 551 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, will not play against Lexington. He is sidelined with a lower leg injury.

Junior running back Hunter Secrest is expected to get the majority of the touches in the backfield. Secrest has run the ball well this season as a complimentary back to Anglin. In four games, he has 151 yards and five scores on 37 carries.

Junior Jake Heeren should also get a few touches.

Ekart said that senior lineman Jake Sager, who tore his PCL against Hastings two weeks ago and sat out against McCook, will see time tonight. He has practiced this week.

Sager's return – even if it's at less than 100 percent – figures to be a major boost to Sidney's offense and defense. His run and pass blocking is invaluable and the pressure he generates on defense really strengthens the Red Raiders' secondary when the opposing quarterback is forced to make poor throws.

The Minutemen are a run option-heavy team that will lean on a full cabinet of capable backs to move the ball. Three Lexington players have at least 180 yards rushing.

The sparkplug to the Minutemen' Air Force-like attack is dynamic senior back Wesley Winter, who has 208 yards on just 21 carries and two touchdowns. Fellow senior backfield mates Dakota Hernandez and Raul Marroquin have combined for 362 yards on 62 carries.

Lexington is expected to incorporate two different quarterbacks – senior Tyson Block and junior Trevor McKeone – into its game plan.

Neither signal caller is a dangerous passer, but both are mobile – particularly McKeone who loves to tuck the ball in and run. He has run the ball 42 times in four games, with just 20 pass attempts.

With such an emphasis on a ground game, the Sidney defense will need to be fast to both sidelines. Sager coming back to help plug up the middle of the defensive line should help with this.

For the Sidney offense, it's all about balance and taking what the defense gives it. The Raiders did an excellent job moving the ball in the second half against McCook last week because senior quarterback Lane Harvey made accurate throws on manageable third downs.

With a somewhat depleted running back corps this week, Harvey will need to continue to be able to find his wideouts to keep the Minutemen' defense honest up front.