Sidney and their undefeated record came to Bulldog Stadium on Friday for a homecoming battle with AHS. Using both strong performances on offense and defense, the Raiders bested the Bulldogs 49 to 6. The visitors roared to a 28 to 0 lead at halftime and added scores in the third and fourth quarters in getting the win. Alliance would get a touchdown play from Espen Lanik in the fourth but fall to 3 and 5 on the year.
Starting from the 35, it would take the Red Raiders 8 plays and less than 3 minutes to find the end zone. Tackles for losses by Alliance’s Cole Stoike, Smiley Valdivinos, Ethan Schulze, and Caysen Robertson slowed the opening Sidney possession but a 26 yard TD pass by the guests made it 7 to 0 with 9:16 showing on the clock. Alliance would go three and out on their first series. The Dogs then stiffened on the next defensive drive. Tackles by Stoike and Nason Thompson gave the ball back to the hosts. Alliance would roll the dice on their next drive. A fourth and one carry was stopped as the Raiders got the ball back deep inside Alliance territory. With 49 seconds left in the quarter, the Alliance deficit went to 14 to 0 after an 8 yard TD run by Sidney.
Period #2 didn’t began well for the Dogs. Alliance was forced to punt after 3 plays. It would take the visitors just 5 plays to extend their advantage. Beginning on their 22, the Raiders used a long pass of 42 yards to drive deep into Alliance territory. The possession ended with a 4 yard touchdown carry as the guests surged ahead 21 to 0 with 9:43 remaining in the half. Following another three and out by Alliance’s offense, the guests continued their fine play with 7 more points. A TD run covering 46 yards made the scoreboard read Sidney 28 Alliance 0 with 7:32 on the clock. Alliance would get a pair of catches by Carson Swenson and Lanik from quarterback Jay Shelmadine but again were forced to give the ball back to the Red Raiders on their next drive. The half came a finish with a pick by Thompson and no more score. With 24 minutes in the book, Sidney was up 28 to 0.
Alliance had some nice offensive plays to start the third. A 12 yard reception by Swenson plus a strong carry to Robertson pushed the ball to midfield. But an Alliance turnover denied the Dogs points and gave the Raiders the ball back. Despite another tackle for a loss by Robertson, the Sidney O had success. A 15 yard touchdown run made it 35 to 0 with under 6 minutes left in the quarter. Passes from Shelmadine to Jackson Devlin and Wyatt Stabnow on the Dog’s next attempt gave AHS a chance. The possession came to an end with a QB sack and another Bulldog punt. On the last play of the period, Sidney got their sixth score on a 26 yard TD pass. Alliance was down 42 to 0 heading to the fourth.
Both squads were limited offensively in the final minutes due to a running clock. AHS would get on the board at the 10 minute mark on a 66 yard TD pass from Shelmadine to Lanik. The PAT was no good, making it a 42 to 6 ball game. On the following kick, a 65 yard return for a score by the guests put the score at 49 to 6. Alliance showed life on their next series with strong gains by back Trini Trejo but a fumble by the Bulldogs gave the Raiders the ball at the 21. Sidney would run over 5 minutes off the clock before punting. The game came to a close with Sidney getting the W 49 to 6.
SID 14 14 14 7 49
ALL 0 0 0 6 6
Stats Alliance 167 yards of total offense 54 rushing 113 passing
Trejo 14 carries 45 yards Shelmadine 5 carries 6 yards passing Shelmadine 10 completions 1 TD Lanik 2 catches 69 yards 1 TD Devlin 2 catches 13 yards Swenson 2 grabs 14 yards Robertson 2 receptions 9 yards
Alliance will concluded their season with a road to Ogallala on Friday.