Football Preview: Classical Purple vs. Ponaganset Chieftains
Classical has won four straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Ponaganset has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Saturday. The Classical Purple will host the Ponaganset Chieftains at 2:00 p.m. Both have allowed few points on average, (Classical: 8.5, Ponaganset: 9.3) so any points scored will be well earned.
Classical is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Pilgrim, who was ranked 20th in their home state at the time (Classical was ranked 19th). Classical fell 31-23 to Pilgrim on Friday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Purple, who until this match were averaging 8.5 points allowed.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jacoby Tavares, who picked up 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Duke, who gained 92 total yards and a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Classical's defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. Leading the way was Leo Francois with two.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Ponaganset at home against Rogers on Friday as the squad secured a 49-7 victory. Considering the Chieftains have won four games by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Ponaganset had a senior duo take command as Trevor Lytle picked up 73 receiving yards and three touchdowns and Robert Grenga threw for 129 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. Lytle is on a roll when it comes to receiving touchdowns, as he's now hauled in two or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Ponaganset was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Classical moved to 5-1 with that loss, which also ended their five-game winning streak. As for Ponaganset, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Classical has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 279 passing yards per game. Ponaganset, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 189 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Saturday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Classical against Ponaganset in their previous matchup back in October of 2015, as the team secured a 56-6 victory. Will Classical repeat their success, or does Ponaganset have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
