Football Preview: Kiski Area Cavaliers vs. Plum Mustangs
Kiski Area is on a four-game streak of home losses, Plum a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change on Friday. The Kiski Area Cavaliers will welcome the Plum Mustangs at 7:15 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Kiski Area earned a 21-14 win over Armstrong.
Kiski Area got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Carson Heinle out in front who threw for 124 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes, and also rushed for 65 yards. Aven Shirley was Heinle's top target, picking up 56 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Kiski Area's defense and their four sacks. Braden Anderson was especially locked on to Armstrong's QB and sacked him twice. Anderson is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Plum). They really took it to Fox Chapel for the full four quarters, racking up a 49-10 win at home. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Mustangs as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Darian Nelson had a dynamite game for Plum, rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Nelson really tore up the turf during one magnificent 83-yard run. The team also got some help courtesy of Nicholas Odom, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Plum was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 347 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Kiski Area's win bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Plum, their victory bumped their record up to 2-6.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Kiski Area has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Plum struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Kiski Area came up short against Plum in their previous matchup back in August of 2023, falling 28-18. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Odom, who rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. Now that Kiski Area knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
