Football Preview: Marian Catholic vs. Tri-Valley Bulldogs
Two dominant backs in Rory Dixon and Cole Gemberling are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Marian Catholic will head out to take on the Tri-Valley Bulldogs at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Tri-Valley took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Marian Catholic, who comes in off a win.
Marian Catholic will head into Friday's game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 27) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Nativity BVM , sneaking past 21-18.
Marian Catholic got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tyler Price out in front who rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. Price also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making ten total tackles and defending a pass. Marian Catholic also got a significant boost from Dixon, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 115 yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Marian Catholic's defense and their four sacks. Nativity BVM's QB won't forget Jah Bushati anytime soon given he sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, a win for Tri-Valley just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were dealt a 66-16 defeat at the hands of Schuylkill Haven. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 402nd, while the Hurricanes are ranked 179th).
Marian Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Tri-Valley, this is the second loss in a row for them and also nudges their season record down to 6-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Marian Catholic has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Tri-Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 170.9. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Marian Catholic suffered a grim 24-0 defeat to Tri-Valley when the teams last played back in August. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gemberling, who rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Now that Marian Catholic knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
