Football Preview: Parkersburg Big Reds vs. Huntington Highlanders
Parkersburg hasn't had much luck against Huntington recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Parkersburg Big Reds will challenge the Huntington Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Parkersburg took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took down St. Albans 27-12.
Jakel Shelton was his usual excellent self, rushing for 168 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry. He is becoming a predictor of Parkersburg's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 2-1 (and 1-4 when he doesn't). Zane Lewis got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Parkersburg was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Huntington came tearing into Friday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 41.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their match with ease, bagging a 49-7 victory over the Cougars. The Highlanders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 42 points or more this season.
Parkersburg's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Huntington, they pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
Parkersburg was taken down by Huntington 49-21 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Parkersburg was down 28-7.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
