The Evansville Reitz Panthers will face off against the Heritage Hills Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Evansville Reitz is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Evansville Central 37-13. The win continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won seven in a row.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Lleyton King and Amyr Wilford. King rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.1 yards per carry while Wilford rushed for 182 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. Wilford's longest rush was for an incredible 80 yards.
Evansville Reitz was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 360 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Kaiden Thomas
| 10/24/25 vs Evansville Central | 2 |
| 10/17/25 vs Evansville Mater Dei | 3 |
| 10/10/25 vs Evansville Bosse | 2 |
| 10/03/25 vs Evansville Memorial | 1 |
| 09/26/25 @ Castle | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
One reason for the win was Evansville Reitz's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for ten sacks. Azhari Jackson led the group effort, picking up three of those sacks all by himself. Kaiden Thomas has been hot for a while, having posted at least one sack the last nine times he's played.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Heritage Hills and Washington had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Patriots took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 56-7 victory over the Hatchets. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Patriots had established a 35-point advantage.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Heritage Hills, adding 16 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Peyton Gray, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Evansville Reitz's win bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Heritage Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Evansville Reitz has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 186.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Heritage Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 257.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
