The Sidney Red Raiders are headed back to the Class C-1 state semifinals for the third straight year after rolling past Fort Calhoun, 46–16, Friday afternoon at Weymouth Field.

Sidney turned four Pioneer turnovers and a botched punt into points on their way to the convincing win.

The first series of the game set the tone. After winning the toss and deferring, Sidney kicked off to Fort Calhoun. Starting at their own 14-yard line, the Pioneers picked up five yards on first down, but the Red Raider defense quickly took over. Defensive tackle Zech Roggasch batted down a pass on second down, then combined with linebacker Ben Monheiser for a 13-yard sack on third down. Forced to punt from deep in their own territory, Fort Calhoun’s Kaiden Rodriguez barely made contact with the ball, and Cayson Boltjes recovered for Sidney at the 4-yard line.

On the very next play, Rhys Dorcey ran untouched into the end zone, giving Sidney a 7–0 lead just 1:07 into the game.

Sidney poured it on from there, scoring 27 points in the first quarter and taking a 39–0 lead into halftime.

Dorcey led the way offensively with 100 yards rushing on 15 carries and three touchdowns. Quarterback Alek Doty was efficient, completing 13 of 19 passes (68%) for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Sidney finished with 265 total yards of offense.

Defensively, the Red Raiders held Fort Calhoun to 216 total yards. Rodriguez managed 54 yards on 17 carries, while quarterback Adam Elofson went 14-of-31 passing for 168 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

With the win, Sidney improves to 11–0 and advances to the state semifinals, where they’ll travel to face Columbus Lakeview (11–0) on Friday, November 14, with kickoff set for 5:00 p.m. CST (4:00 p.m. MST).

Sidney Public Schools has announced there will be no school that Friday so students, families, and staff can make the trip to support the team.

Catch all the action as Sidney battles for a berth in the state championship game on 1340 AM / 95.7 FM Cheyenne County Country, online at thebigboy987.com, or on the News Channel Nebraska app.