Preview: Jackson-Milton Bluejays vs. Western Reserve Blue Devils
Jackson-Milton has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on The Western Reserve Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Jackson-Milton didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Harding, but they still walked away with a 26-20 victory. The win was just what Jackson-Milton needed coming off of a 35-14 defeat in their prior contest.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Jackson-Milton to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cayden Mitchell, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Keegan White, who rushed for 186 yards while picking up 9.8 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Western Reserve didn't have too much trouble with Mineral Ridge at home on Friday as they won 28-14. Western Reserve's offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Jack Darney and Luke Henning were among the main playmakers for Western Reserve as the former gained 189 total yards and a touchdown and the latter rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns.
Jackson-Milton has been no stranger to the win column this season, as they've started out with wins in seven of their first nine games, giving them a 7-2 record. As for Western Reserve, their victory was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-2.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Jackson-Milton has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 242.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Western Reserve struggles in that department as they've been averaging 193.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Jackson-Milton won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in September of 2022, slipping by Western Reserve 22-21. Does Jackson-Milton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Western Reserve turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
