Blue Valley Northwest’s football team entered Thursday night’s Eastern Kansas League matchup with Blue Valley High with a 2-4 record. After a 49-3 loss in which the Huskies were dominated in every facet of the game, BVNW’s record dropped to 2-5 for the 2017 campaign.

It did not take the Tigers long to open up a 7-0 lead as they were able to march down the field on their first drive of the game and score on a 20 yard touchdown pass with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter from Blue Valley High senior quarterback Luke Bernard to the Tigers junior wide receiver Cameron Green. Bernard and the Tigers offense were able to have success throughout the night, something BVNW senior quarterback Payton Hartman and the Huskies offense could not.

Hartman finished the night going 14/39 for 153 yards and 2 interceptions after two consecutive weeks in which he was able to pass for 300-plus yards. Head coach Clint Rider said his offense was successful in moving the ball down the field during the first half, but its inability to finish drives again Thursday night proved to be detrimental to their success.

“I don’t know that we struggled in the first half to move the ball,” Rider said. “We struggled to get the ball into the end zone, which has been our M.O. all year. We didn’t have a lot of 3-and-outs early on, so I wasn’t discouraged with how we played in the first half, I was discouraged by our play in the second half more so than the first.”

The entirety of the Huskies’ night was summed up in one third quarter play as Bernard dropped back into his own end zone and threw a short pass into the flat. After a missed BVNW tackle, Green scampered to the end zone for a 98 yard touchdown reception, which extended the Tigers lead to 42-3 in the middle of the third quarter.

One of the lone bright spots for BVNW on the night was senior kicker Nick Young- who has not missed an extra point this year- extending his perfect kicking percentage with a 35 yard field goal make, his first field goal of the year as time expired in the first half. Senior running back Chris Thomas was also able to rush for 103 yards on 21 carries for the night. 

Rider said despite the loss, he expects the Huskies to come out with some fight on senior night next week.

“I believe they certainly have the will to win,” Rider said. “And I think they’ll put in a good week of preparation, and they don’t like how they feel right now so they’re a group that tends to rise and respond to adversity.”

Blue Valley Northwest will host the Manhattan Indians on senior night next week, Friday Oct. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.