It's a Big 7 League Showdown in the Class 2A Semi-Finals on Friday night with a trip to the State Championship game on the line. 

#2 Nemaha Central plays host to #4 Sabetha in a rematch from the regular season finale. 

The Thunder won the first matchup on October 21st against the Bluejays 24-7 using a big second half to pull away for the win. 

Sabetha led the first meeting 7-0 going into halftime and that was after the defense posted a big goal line stop to keep Nemaha Central off the board in the first 24 minutes. 

The Thunder would use a big second half to pull away for the win as they scored three touchdowns on their first three drives. 

Cooper Hajek and Brayden Uphaus each had a rushing touchdown while the Thunder also scored on a trick play with a reverse-pass as Gavin Cain tossed a 16-yard touchdown to Aidan Broxterman. 

Hajek finished that game with 39 carries for 138 yards. For the season, he's rushed for over 1,700 yards and 35 touchdowns. Uphaus threw for 177 yards in that game and has surpassed 1,000 passing yards this season. 

The Bluejays have dominated their playoff opponents since the loss to Nemaha Central. They beat ACCHS 35-6, Riley County 48-13, and Caney Valley 47-0. 

In the win last week over Caney Valley, Jonathan Renyer ran for two scores and added an interception return for a touchdown. Matthew Garber threw a pair of touchdowns and added a rushing score. 

Since 2006, Nemaha Central is 12-7 against Sabetha with wins in the last two meetings. Sabetha won three straight in the series from 2018-2020 and also from 2006-2008. 

Nemaha Central added another nice stretch in that span where they won seven straight against the Bluejays from 2009-2014. 

Nemaha Central is looking for their second State Championship in 2A as they last won the crown in 2019. Sabetha won back-to-back 3A State Championships in 2017 and 2018. The Bluejays also won a pair of 4A Championships in 1997 and 1993. 

Friday's game in Seneca will be broadcast live on KNZA 103.9 FM with pregame coverage hitting the air around 6:40 PM with the kickoff at 7:00 PM. 

The other Semi-Final in 2A features a pair of 11-0 teams with #1 ranked Southeast of Saline against #3 Kingman.