Football Preview: Columbia Raiders vs. Clearview Clippers
The Columbia Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Clearview Clippers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Columbia got the win against Wellington by a conclusive 33-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Raiders.
Columbia's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jimmy Stofey led the charge by rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. Columbia also got a significant boost from Gage Maruna, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Columbia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 275 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in seven consecutive games.
Columbia wouldn't let Wellington keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Columbia can thank Grant Johnson and Chase Voge for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Clearview put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 28-6 margin over Firelands. Given the Clippers' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 168th, while the Falcons are ranked 428th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Cy Christensen, who threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Columbia is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. As for Clearview, their victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0.
Columbia was able to grind out a solid win over Clearview in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, winning 20-13. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Clearview's Ethan Lorenzana, who rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Columbia to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
