Football Preview: Juniata Indians vs. Upper Dauphin Area Trojans
The Juniata Indians will take on the Upper Dauphin Area Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Juniata took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Halifax, posting a 42-8 victory at home. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 260th, while the Wildcats are ranked 528th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Juniata had a senior duo take command as Wyatt Ehrenzeller threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes and Connor Boreman picked up 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Juniata is 5-1 when Boreman posts two or more receiving touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Upper Dauphin Area). They took their game on the road on Friday with ease, bagging a 47-14 win over Newport. The victory was familiar territory for the Trojans who have now won four contests in a row.
Upper Dauphin Area got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Aidan Bingaman out in front who threw for 289 yards and five touchdowns while completing 90.9% of his passes. Isaac Jackson was Bingaman's top target, picking up 157 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Upper Dauphin Area's defense and their six sacks. In that department, Wyatt Troutman was the leader with three. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 11.
Juniata pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Upper Dauphin Area, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Juniata has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Upper Dauphin Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196.9. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Juniata against Upper Dauphin Area in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 33-6 win. In that game, Juniata amassed a halftime lead of 20-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
