Football Preview: South Putnam Eagles vs. Riverton Parke Panthers
Two dominant backs in Ty Benton and Kyle Price are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The South Putnam Eagles will square off against the Riverton Parke Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in South Putnam's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last eight matches.
South Putnam is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 53-20 win over Covington. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won eight matchups by 27 points or more so far this season.
South Putnam can attribute much of their success to Benton, who rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries, and Wyatt Mullin, who threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes. Those 147 rushing yards gave Benton a new career-high.
South Putnam didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Bransyn Ensor, Wyatt Switzer, and Drew Cline picked up one apiece. South Putnam got some further help from Hunter Weddle: he picked up a sack and made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Riverton Parke hadn't done well against North Vermillion recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Riverton Parke sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 35-33 victory over North Vermillion. The win was familiar territory for the Panthers who have now won five games in a row.
Riverton Parke got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Price out in front who rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Riverton Parke also got a significant boost from Jett Lesniak, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 93 yards.
Riverton Parke was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 405 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
South Putnam's win was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.7 points per game. As for Riverton Parke, their record now sits at 8-3.
Everything came up roses for South Putnam against Riverton Parke in their previous meeting back in October of 2019, as the team secured a 50-14 victory. Will South Putnam repeat their success, or does Riverton Parke have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
