Game Overview
The Kearney Bearcats take on the Gretna Dragons in a 2020 NSAA State Football Championships second-round Class A matchup – Friday, September 30th at 7:00 pm CT.
How to watch Kearney vs Gretna
Kearney Looks to Continue Winning Ways
The Kearney Bearcats are 3-4 on the season and ranked as the #9 seed in the NSAA Class A bracket. The Bearcats have regular-season losses to Lincoln Southeast (14-10), #1 ranked Omaha Westside (47-14), #2 ranked Bellevue West (49-14), and an overtime loss to Elkhorn South (28-21). They beat Columbus 41-19 and Lincoln High (34-0).
Big win in the last home game. Thank you to everyone who stuck it out through the cold tonight! pic.twitter.com/IE6hrxBmak
— KHS Rowdies (@KHSRowdies) October 24, 2020
In round one of the playoffs, Kearney defeated #24 seed and winless Lincoln Northeast Rockets 46-6. The Bearcats were helped by five Rocket turnovers and led 40-0 at the half.
Kearney Players to Watch
Senior QB Preston Pearson (6’2″/205 lbs)
In the opening playoff round against Lincoln Northeast, Pearson was a perfect 9 of 9 passing for 94 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Junior RB Parker Wise (6’0″/205 lbs)
Wise led the Bearcat rushing attack against Lincoln NE, with 8 carries for 80 yards. He also scored two touchdowns on runs of 21 and 2 yards.
Check out my highlights from Lincoln Northeast! First round of playoffs. https://t.co/N1D7gQ1Vv8
— Parker Wise (@parker_wise) October 24, 2020
Gretna Hopes to Bounce Back After Late Season Loss
The Gretna Dragons are 6-1 on the season and ranked as the #8 playoff seed. They opened the season with six straight wins over Lincoln Southwest (30-7), Lincoln High (34-7), Papillion-Lavista South (45-22), Pius X (35-3), Bellevue East (41-18) and Omaha Skutt (31-28). The Dragons ended the regular season on a sour note with a 35-10 loss to Elkhorn South.
Despite the loss, Gretna’s 6-1 record earned them a bye in round one of the playoffs. After a week off, the Dragons are rested and ready to get back into the win column. If they want to beat Kearney, Gretna will need a much better defensive effort than the 35 points they surrendered against Elkhorn South.
Gretna Players to Watch
Sophomore QB Zane Flores (6’1″/175 lbs)
Flores has been very impressive in only his sophomore year. According to Max Preps, Flowers has 1656 yards passing with 16 touchdowns and only 2 INT’s. What’s even more impressive is that Flores is very efficient with the ball, completing 122 of 170 passes for an impressive 71 percent completion percentage.
In their 31-28 victory over Omaha Skutt, Flores completed 23 of 29 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
Gretna had this connection working in Week 6.@ZaneFlores12 ➡️ @trevormarshalll
Three touchdown connections on the night, none prettier than this.
Gretna improves to 6-0 with a 31-28 win. pic.twitter.com/96LJNzCl4U
— Matt Lothrop (@MattLothrop7) October 3, 2020
Senior WR Trevor Marshall (6’2″/205 lbs)
Marshall leads the Dragons receiving corp with 744 yards on the season and 9 touchdowns. Against Omaha Skutt, he contributed 136 yards receiving and accounted for all three of Flores’ touchdown passes.
Senior WR Jackson Alexander (6’2″/195 lbs)
Alexander is just behind Marshall in receiving yards and touchdowns (644 yards/6 TD’s) and provides another big target. Marshall and Alexander have combined for 15 of 16 touchdown passes thrown by Flores.
