Column: Looking ahead to Week 2 in 8-man

Anthony Crane Sports Editor

Week one of the high school football season is in the books, and with that comes a better idea of what teams around the state will be this season.

It was a successful week for local teams with Nodaway Valley and Platte Valley each getting 40-point wins. As we all expected (insert sarcasm font), the Worth County Tigers were the only team to not get a win in week one.

Week two should be slightly more challenging for the teams of the valley.

NODAWAY VALLEY (1-0) VS ALBANY WARRIORS (1-0)

In last year’s matchup, the Thunder blew the doors off of Albany 84-6. The Thunder intercepted the Warriors three times as part of their plethora of turnovers and held running back Elliot Mercer to 89 yards.

This year, the Warriors have a different Palmer at quarterback and Mercer back for one final season. It will be a run-heavy look from Albany if week one is any prediction of what’s to come this Friday.

Albany passed for just 26 yards, but the run game was on point in their 60-0 win over DeKalb. As a team, the Warriors rushed for 288 yards on 36 carries.

Mercer led the team with 110 yards and three touchdowns on 12 rushes. Junior Gavin Pickering had the longest run of the game at 52 yards, helping him to a second-place finish on the team with 83 yards on four carries.

Defensively, Mercer led the team with 10 tackles, and the defense as a whole forced five turnovers. Jared Owens, Clayton Griffin and Grayson Miller each had an interception.

I don’t imagine this one will be a 70-point difference, but I do believe it comes down to the Thunder’s ability to control Mercer and the running game. Albany’s defense is also a question mark, coming into the game as they see a full 180 on the opposing team’s offensive talent.

PLATTE VALLEY (1-0) AT STANBERRY (1-0)

This isn’t your grandfather’s Stanberry team, but the Bulldogs are expected to be better in 2026. Platte Valley earned its first-ever win against the Bulldogs last season in a 52-8 decision.

It was a long night for the Bulldogs last week with an 88-70 win over South Holt. While they’ll always take the win, Stanberry will also have to find a way to defend a Platte Valley offense coming off of its own 70-point performance.

While they’re likely better than the 2025 version, Platte Valley should have their eyes on a 2-0 start. The Knights are not talentless, but it is a very small roster with limits on that talent — and they scored 70 points.

For Platte Valley, Friday will be a good test to see where its young defense is in its progression. Offensively, Ridge Clements and Grady Gockel should once again have big nights.

SOUTH HOLT (0-1) VS WORTH COUNTY (0-1)

There was always going to be a non-zero chance that the Worth County Tigers came into week two in search of a win as the defending state champions have made a habit out of coming up just short in week one.

Friday night may not provide the challenge of one of the state’s top teams, but it does provide a chance to tinker with some of those ailments from their last-minute loss to Rock Port.

The offense will also look a little different moving forward with the loss of senior Caleb New. The senior receiver tore his ACL last Friday, leaving a big hole on both sides of the ball.

For a team that struggled to throw the ball last week, this provides a new set of challenges moving forward. The Tigers should always always always run far more than they pass, but the need for a passing game is still there.

While I have immense respect for South Holt head coach Josh Peterson, the Knights just don’t have the numbers to keep this one close. After Friday, Worth County will go through its toughest stretch of the regular season with Princeton, North Andrew and Albany in weeks three, four and five.