Football Preview: Arundel Wildcats vs. Annapolis Panthers
A feisty cat fight will be fought when Wildcats takes on the Annapolis Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a six-game winning streak alive.
Arundel is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing South River: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Arundel blew South River out of the water with a 70-6 final score. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland football rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Seahawks are ranked 109th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ahmir Lowery continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns while completing 91.7% of his passes, and also rushing for 60 yards. Naseem Tention did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 121 receiving yards.
Arundel was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 258 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 164 rushing yards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, while Annapolis put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Severn Run. Annapolis took their contest with ease, bagging a 64-0 victory over Severn Run. That looming 64-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.
Tyler Womack was his usual excellent self, rushing for 202 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Womack is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 149 every time he's taken the field this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Zyhir Neal, who gained 66 total yards and two touchdowns.
Annapolis didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Marcus Clavery, Paradis Ball, Calvin Smith, and Nysean Harris Johnson picked up one apiece.
Arundel's record is now 7-1. As for Annapolis, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Arundel has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 208.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Annapolis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 314.8. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Arundel strolled past Annapolis when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a score of 33-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for Arundel 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
