North Platte’s football team has embraced a road-warrior mentality, opening the Class 1 District 5 tournament with a dominant performance against Crest Ridge and Chilhowee.
As the bottom seed in the district, North Platte entered the tournament knowing it would have to win three straight road games to advance to the state playoffs for the first time since 2023. They took an important first step by defeating No. 4-seeded Crest Ridge 34-8 on Oct. 30.
The Panthers came out ready to play, taking a two-score lead in the opening seven minutes.
North Platte stretched its lead to 20-0 before Crest Ridge ended the Panthers’ shutout bid in the second quarter.
The visitors finished the half strong with an answer, using an 18-yard touchdown carry from junior running back Caden Rogers to take a 26-8 lead into halftime.
The second half started after a lightning delay, with Rogers striking again with a 56-yard run on a pitch to make it 34-8 in the third quarter.
The Panthers’ defense recorded a sack and 11 tackles for loss, with junior linebacker Johnny McCracken leading with 10 total tackles. North Platte also forced two turnovers, with junior cornerback Hudson Yarc and freshman linebacker Terry Scoggins catching interceptions.
North Platte climbs back to .500 this season with a 5-5 record. They advance to a district semifinal for the fifth straight year.
This year’s district semifinal will bring another level of competition as they visit top-seeded Carrollton on Nov. 6. Carrollton, which dropped down from Class 2, enters its district opener with no common opponents after an 8-1 regular-season campaign, including a perfect 4-0 record at home as the Trojans look to win districts for the first time since 2011.
North Platte’s only previous meeting with Carrollton on record was a 46-14 Panther victory in Dearborn in a district quarterfinal in October 2022.