Football Preview: Thunder Ridge Longhorns vs. Pike Valley Panthers
Thunder Ridge and Pike Valley are an even 3-3 against one another since September of 2014, but not for long. The Thunder Ridge Longhorns will venture away from home to challenge the Pike Valley Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Thunder Ridge is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row dating back to last season, Thunder Ridge finally turned things around against St. John's/Tipton Catholic on Friday. Everything went their way against the Blujays as they made off with a 44-22 victory. The Longhorns' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Evan Slavik was the offensive standout of the game as he picked up 107 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making six total tackles and defending two passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Thunder Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 322 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 56 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three contests they've averaged 202.7.
Thunder Ridge's defense made their presence known, laying out Tyson Gates. six times. The heavy lifting was done by Brayden Burge and Declan Tweedy, who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, a win for Pike Valley just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They had to suffer through a 58-30 loss at the hands of Linn. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Thunder Ridge's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Pike Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Everything came up roses for Thunder Ridge against Pike Valley when the teams last played back in September of 2021, as the squad secured a 62-14 win. In that matchup, Thunder Ridge amassed a halftime lead of 56-14, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
