The Ritchie County Rebels will face off against the St. Marys Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Ritchie County strolled past Tygarts Valley with points to spare, taking the game 26-12. The Rebels' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
The critical scores for Ritchie County came from Jenner Keen, Isaiah Poole, Landon Hanlon, and Kellen Cress.
Meanwhile, St. Marys had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They breezed past the Blue Eagles to the tune of 44-14. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Blue Devils had established a 22-point advantage.
Ritchie County better keep an eye on Eli Wilson. He was instrumental in St. Marys' win, rushing for 159 yards and three scores on only 14 carries, while also catching one touchdown. Wilson's longest rush was for an impressive 54 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Jeremiah Demoss was another key player, rushing for 106 yards and one TD on only 12 carries.
St. Marys was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 301 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
St. Marys' victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Ritchie County, their win bumped their record up to 2-5.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Ritchie County has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 159 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like St. Marys struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Ritchie County suffered a grim 27-7 defeat to St. Marys when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Rebels, Ryan Kent (who rushed for 219 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 11.5 yards per carry, and also threw for 75 yards and one touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
