Football Preview: Woodlan Warriors vs. Bluffton Tigers
The Woodlan Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the Bluffton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Woodlan is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 34 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Heritage on Friday. They lost 28-6 to the Patriots. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 209th, while the Patriots are ranked 89th).
Woodlan wouldn't let Heritage keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Woodlan can thank DREW FLEEK and ASHTIN JACQUAY for forcing all of them. FLEEK also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, forcing two fumbles, and making eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Bluffton put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 33-7 margin over South Adams. The Tigers pushed the score to 33-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Starfires cut but never quite recovered from.
Axton Beste was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns while completing 88.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 122 yards while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. Aaron Streveler was Beste's top target, picking up 109 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Woodlan's loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-2. As for Bluffton, their record now sits at 3-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Woodlan has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 151.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bluffton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 206. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Woodlan was taken down by Bluffton 28-0 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Woodlan, Tucker Jenkins (who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also picked up 61 receiving yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
