Preview: Butler Golden Tornado vs. Greater Latrobe Wildcats
Butler has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on The Greater Latrobe Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Butler comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 12 points in their last four games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse.
Last Friday, Butler was beaten by McDowell 52-12. While losing is never fun, Butler can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 269th, while McDowell is ranked 29th).
Despite the loss, Butler saw an underclassman step up: Mark Klemz rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Meanwhile, Greater Latrobe unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a serious blow against McKeesport, falling 42-14. The last quarter was a mere formality, since the game's final score was reached by the end of the third quarter.
Greater Latrobe's loss came about despite a quality game from John Wetzel, who rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Butler's loss was their sixth straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 2-7. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 9.7 points per game. As for Greater Latrobe, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Butler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Greater Latrobe struggles in that department as they've been even better at 198.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Butler ended up a good deal behind Greater Latrobe in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, losing 28-14. Will Butler have more luck at home instead of on the road?
