Football Preview: Hanover Central Wildcats vs. Kankakee Valley Kougars
Hanover Central has been away from home for two games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Kankakee Valley Kougars at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hanover Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed by East Chicago Central to the tune of 71-30. The Wildcats' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Hanover Central's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Caiden Verrett led the charge by rushing for 59 yards and three touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Tommy Bonner, who threw for 103 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Kankakee Valley had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Trojans 52-14.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Kankakee Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Marco Castro, who rushed for 47 yards and three touchdowns. Castro has been hot recently, having posted three or more rushing touchdowns the last three times he's played. Diego Arroyo was another key player, throwing for 228 yards and a touchdown while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Hanover Central pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Kankakee Valley, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Hanover Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 179.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 210.7. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hanover Central strolled past Kankakee Valley when the teams last played back in September by a score of 34-20. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Castro, who rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hanover Central still be able to contain Castro? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
