Football Recap: Ziyir Aker Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Richwoods

Champaign Central proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 46) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Richwoods Knights 17-14. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Maroons have posted since September 27, 2024.

Ziyir Aker

Rushing Yards

09/26/25 vs Richwoods	142
09/19/25 @ Urbana	62
09/12/25 vs Peoria Notre Dame	195
09/05/25 vs Centennial	80
08/28/25 vs Springfield	42

Champaign Central's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ziyir Aker, who rushed for 142 yards and one score. With that strong performance, Aker is now averaging an impressive 104.2 rushing yards per game. Wyatt Christensen did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 98 receiving yards.

Another reason for the win was Champaign Central's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Maurice Dominick and David Ward, who each picked up one sack apiece. Champaign Central got some further help from Dominick: he picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Champaign Central's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-3. As for Richwoods, their loss was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Champaign Central is set to challenge their familiar foe Danville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Richwoods will face off against rival Peoria at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.