Preview: Cary-Grove Trojans vs. East St. Louis Flyers
Cary-Grove has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the East St. Louis Flyers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams have allowed few points on average, (Cary-Grove: 16.5, East St. Louis: 12.7) so any points scored will be well earned.
Cary-Grove had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 28-10 win over Lake Zurich on Saturday.
Cary-Grove found their leader in underclassman Logan Abrams, who rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns.
Meanwhile, East St. Louis entered their tilt with Washington with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. East St. Louis strolled past Washington with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 34-18. East St. Louis' win was all the more impressive since Washington was averaging only 11.08 points allowed on the season.
East St. Louis' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Robert (pops) Battle, who rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Cary-Grove is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season. As for East St. Louis, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's game: Cary-Grove has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 285.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like East St. Louis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 209.1 per game. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cary-Grove barely slipped by East St. Louis in their previous matchup back in November of 2021, winning 37-36. Does Cary-Grove have another victory up their sleeve, or will East St. Louis turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
