East Nicolaus High junior quarterback Braden Appelt (1) was a statistical marvel last week, accruing nearly 200 yards of total offense by himself as the starting quarterback for East Nicolaus during its 36-19 win over Durham in Trowbridge.
Appelt passed for 65 yards and a score and rushed for 112 and a touchdown to aid the Spartans to their fourth straight win over Durham at home.
The win moves East Nicolaus a step closer to a top-two seed in the Northern Section Division IV playoffs in November, where it will likely see Durham (4-2, 1-1) again in south Sutter County over Thanksgiving week.
The two have a long history of playoff battles late in November, with East Nicolaus always prevailing amid the cold, windy conditions at Wahl Field. Three years in a row (2016-2018) Durham and East Nicolaus met on Thanksgiving week for the NSCIF finals in their division.
All three times, the Spartans toppled the Trojans by double-digits each time, led by a run game that rushed for over 300 yards in two of the three showcases.