No. 15 Sidney set for road battle at No. 6 McCook

Sitting at No. 15 statewide in the MaxPreps.com rankings, Sidney (3-0) can really make a bold statement with a win against the No. 6 McCook Bison (3-0) tonight on the road.

But despite the anticipation surrounding this game, Sidney head coach Todd Ekart is making sure to treat it the same as any other game.

Nothing has been dramatically altered during practices this week. Rather, for this coaching staff and its players, it's all about consistency in preparation and focus

"You have to prepare for every team with the same intensity and that way you are prepared for the good teams and the teams you are better than don't sneak up on you," Ekart said.

McCook figures to be the Red Raiders' strongest opponent at least during the regular season. The Bison are a run-heavy team that will lean on the powerful backfield duo of seniors Trever Matson and Spencer Powell. Those two have combined for 540 rushing yards and six TDs on just 68 touches.

McCook junior quarterback Caleb Sheets has only thrown 35 passes over three games. He's completed just 20 of those attempts for 285 yards.

Meanwhile, the Bison have a couple of standout receivers who have accounted for nearly two-thirds of the season's passing yardage. Six-foot, three-inch junior Jarod Bryant has hauled in nine passes for 106 yards and three scores, while senior Kasey Tayor has caught five balls for 102 yards and a TD.

Those numbers indicate that Sheets makes his living on big, downfield gains. The key for Sidney's defense will be to not let the McCook running game lull it to sleep and leave it exposed to a downfield pass.

When you look at the stats, many of McCook's numbers aren't mind-blowing outside of the running game. Of course, they have several talented players. But the Bison also have a mastery of all the intangibles as one of their calling cards.

"When you have been as good as McCook for as long as they (McCook) have, the kids just believe that they are going to win," Ekart said. "They are well-coached and give tremendous effort on every play."

Defensively, Sidney did a nice job slowing down the Hastings attack last week, as it forced three turnovers and two interceptions. But the unit also made a few mistakes that cost it big gains.

The Red Raiders know they can't make the same mistakes on both sides of the ball against a superior team than past opponents.

"It's a matter of focus," Ekart said. "When kids are focused on the play and their technique, they do fine. It is when they let their guard down and relax that the mistakes happen. We have really made being focused a point of emphasis this week."