Football Game Preview: Waterloo Vikings vs. Lowellville Rockets

The Waterloo Vikings will take on the Lowellville Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Waterloo comes in still looking for their first win of the season.

Waterloo's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Western Reserve on Thursday. They were outmatched by the Blue Devils and fell 47-0. The game marked the first time this year in which the Vikings were not able to get on the board.

Meanwhile, Lowellville came into Friday's matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Jackson-Milton on Friday, sneaking past 38-35.

Waterloo better keep an eye on Anthony Kacir. He was instrumental in Lowellville's win, picking up 46 receiving yards and 11 TDs, while also rushing for 45 yards. Kacir also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack and making four total tackles. Another player making a difference was Ricky Willrich, who threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns.

Lowellville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 224 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Lowellville's defensive line made their presence known, laying out Jack McDevitt three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Kacir, Landen Tych, and Nate Rouns, who each picked up one sack apiece.

Waterloo's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Lowellville, their win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-6.

Things could have been worse for Waterloo, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 56-40 loss to Lowellville in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Vikings, Geno Perry (who rushed for 282 yards and four scores while picking up 10.4 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.