Football Game Preview: Charleston Trojans vs. Salem Wildcats

The Charleston Trojans will square off against the Salem Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Charleston and four for Salem.

Charleston's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Mahomet-Seymour on Friday. They were beaten by the Bulldogs 49-0. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 374th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 82nd).

Even if they lost, Charleston's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: AIDAN WAYNE and DYLAN MONTGOMERY, who each picked up one sack apiece.

Meanwhile, Salem played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 45-18 loss at the hands of Freeburg.

The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Trey Clark and Cooper Kisgen. Kisgen had a great game and gained 128 total yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Clark was balling out in the loss, rushing for 181 yards and a pair of TDs.

Salem's defeat dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Charleston, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.

Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Charleston has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 148.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Salem struggles in that department as they've been averaging 214.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Charleston might still be hurting after the 35-10 defeat they got from Salem in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Trojans were down 28-3.