Preview: Ursuline Fighting Irish vs. New Philadelphia Quakers
Two dominant backs in Christian Lynch and Etnie Richardson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Ursuline Fighting Irish will look to defend their home field on Friday against the New Philadelphia Quakers at 7:00 p.m. Ursuline knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past ten games -- so hopefully New Philadelphia likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Ursuline didn't have too much trouble with Cardinal Mooney on the road as they won 35-16. Given Ursuline's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Cardinal Mooney is ranked 165th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ursuline's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lynch, who rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. Lynch is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jack Ericson, who rushed for 122 yards on only ten carries.
Meanwhile, New Philadelphia came up short against Dover on Friday and fell 20-13. New Philadelphia has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, New Philadelphia saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Richardson, who rushed for 86 yards, and also caught a touchdown, was perhaps the best of all.
Ursuline's victory was their tenth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 10-0. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 25.8 points. As for New Philadelphia, their loss dropped their record down to 6-4.
