Sports

On Thursday, Oct. 19, the undefeated South Loup Bobcats hosted the first round of the NSAA High School State Football Playoffs against the 3-5 Ansley Litchfield Spartans. The Spartans quickly discovered they were no match for the Bobcat powerhouse offense, as South Loup cruised to an easy victory to remain unbeaten and advance to the next round.

The South Loup Bobcats had four cross country runners qualify for the NSAA State Cross Country Championships, held this past Friday at the Kearney Country Club in Kearney. It’s a tough course, and it was a hot day, but the Bobcats ran well.

The Lady Bobcats hosted Ainsworth on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in their last regular season game of 2023. It was a hard-fought nip-and-tuck match that took five sets to declare a winner. In the end, it was Ainsworth on top; however, any of the sets could have gone either way.

On Friday the 13th, the Anselmo-Merna Coyotes traveled to the nearby South Loup Bobcats to play in the final game of the regular season for both teams. With both teams already locking in a spot in the playoffs, it was shaping up to be a great final game before the postseason. The captains met just before the game for the coin flip, which resulted in the Bobcats kicking off to the Coyotes to start the game.

ELLEN MORTENSEN *Editor’s Note: Last week’s South Loup volleyball article did not meet the journalistic standard that we at Syndicate Publishing have set for ourselves and our papers. For that, I as editor, do apologize.

The South Loup cross country team traveled to Cambridge on Thursday, Oct. 12, to compete in the District D-5 meet.

The wind may have been chilly, but the Bobcat football team was hot on the field Friday afternoon against Mullen in Arnold. The Broncos, a team known for having a strong passing offense, were supposed to be a decent opponent for the Bobcats, who are now 7-0 on the season. The wind was a major factor in the Bronco's inability to throw effectively, but the Bobcat defense was also as much of an obstacle to their success.

Having the home course advantage helped the Bobcat cross country team bring home a bunch of medals at last week’s Mid-Nebraska Activities Conference (MNAC) cross country meet. Senior Logan Recoy brought home the gold for the boys, Recoy also placed first last year in the MNAC meet.

Another week, another commanding lead by the Bobcat football team (6-0) is in the books. Thursday they trekked to Hyannis for a late-evening game, and a whooping on the Longhorns, winning 58-18.

The Lady Bobcat volleyball team (7-11) had a rough week, dropping two of their three games. They hosted the Ansley Litchfield Spartans on Tuesday in Callaway and went 3-0.