Football Preview: West Branch Warriors vs. Girard Indians
The West Branch Warriors are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game this season. they take on the Girard Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, West Branch blew past Woodridge, posting a 52-7 win at home. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Warriors just coasted through the last quarter.
Jeremiah Thomas was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 13.7 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. He got the majority of those yards when he took off on a run and that went for an incredible62 yards. Joey Jackson did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 187 receiving yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, West Branch was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 523 total yards. That's the most total yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
West Branch's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Zachary Coffee and Carson Graham. Coffee also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making seven total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Girard at home against Liberty on Friday as the team secured a 41-7 victory. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Leopards are ranked 501st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Branch's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. As for Girard, the victory made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 2-0.
West Branch beat Girard 52-43 when the teams last played back in September of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Girard's Tuff Mcconahy, who threw for 416 yards and six touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for West Branch to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
