Football Preview: Steel Valley Ironmen vs. Ligonier Valley Rams
Two dominant backs in Donald Barksdale and John Jablunovsky are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Steel Valley Ironmen will head out on the road to challenge the Ligonier Valley Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Steel Valley knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Ligonier Valley likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Steel Valley humbled Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with a 42-7 victory. The Ironmen might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 20 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Barksdale, who rushed for 153 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making two total tackles and defending two passes. Da'Ron Barksdale was another key player, rushing for 69 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Steel Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 273 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 222 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
Steel Valley's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB seven times. It was truly a group effort as Amir Randall, Rasaun Hough, and Ameer Berry picked up two apiece.
Meanwhile, Ligonier Valley fell victim to South Park and their airtight defense on Friday. They were outmatched by the Eagles on the road and fell 33-0. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 401st, while the Eagles are ranked 142nd).
Steel Valley pushed their record up to 5-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Ligonier Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Steel Valley against Ligonier Valley in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 35-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Steel Valley since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
