Stanton 42, Pender 30: Week 8 Class D1 final

STANTON, Neb. — Stanton beat Pender 42-30 at home Friday in Class D1 football. Stanton is 8-0 and Pender is 4-4.

The playoff picture

Stanton was at No. 5 of 40 in D1 by NSAA wildcard average (44.0000), No. 2 in the Class D1 Hurrdat Sports coaches poll; Pender was at T-19 of 40 in D1 by NSAA wildcard average (38.5000), No. 10 in the Class D1 Hurrdat Sports coaches poll. Those ranks are from NSAA's wildcard page as of Oct. 17 at 7:42 a.m. CT, which counted this game, and are projections, not seeds. 16 teams qualify in D1. Compared with NSAA's Oct. 16 update at 11:07 a.m., Stanton held at No. 5 (44.0000) and Pender held at T-19 (38.8571).

At the Oct. 17 update, Stanton's 44.0000 average was 4.2500 points above the No. 16 average (39.7500), and Pender's 38.5000 average was 1.2500 points below the No. 16 average (39.7500).

Series

Before this game, Stanton was 2-0 against Pender in regular-season meetings in NSAA records since 2020. The last one was Stanton's 60-20 win at Stanton on Oct. 13, 2023.

Season so far

In seven scored games on NSAA's 2026 schedule, Stanton has outscored opponents 433-102, an average margin of +47.3 points a game. Its wins: David City (68-6), Lutheran High Northeast (76-0), Cross County (63-18), Crofton (40-24), Wakefield (82-12), Ponca (62-12), Pender (42-30). That is seven straight wins.

In eight scored games on NSAA's 2026 schedule, Pender has outscored opponents 340-216, an average margin of +15.5 points a game. Its wins: Cedar Bluffs (68-0), Tekamah-Herman (52-14), Homer (60-22), Wakefield (78-8). Its losses: Crofton (14-40), Sandy Creek (26-76), Wisner-Pilger (12-14), Stanton (30-42).

The two share two common opponents this season: Crofton (Stanton won 40-24; Pender lost 40-14); Wakefield (Stanton won 82-12; Pender won 78-8).

Next

Stanton visits Wisner-Pilger (7-1) on Fri., Oct. 23; Pender hosts Ponca (5-3) on Fri., Oct. 23.

Sources: secure.nsaahome.org; secure.nsaahome.org; hurrdatsports.com.

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