The Roxana Shells will take on the East Alton-Wood River Oilers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
On Friday, Roxana came up short against Breese Central and fell 31-20. The Shells have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, Roxana saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Mekhi Shorter rushed for 183 yards and one touchdown on only 13 carries. Shorter got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 95 yards.
Even if they lost, Roxana's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Mason Crump, Logan Prater, and Lyndon Thies, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, East Alton-Wood River fell victim to Freeburg and their airtight defense on Friday. They took a blow against the Midgets, falling 63-0. While losing is never fun, the Oilers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 467th, while the Midgets are ranked 143rd).
East Alton-Wood River's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Roxana, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Roxana has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 387 total yards per game. It's a different story for East Alton-Wood River, though, as they've been averaging only 77.7 total yards. Will Roxana be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Oilers flip the script?
Roxana strolled past East Alton-Wood River in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 27-8. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Oilers' Travis Skinner, who rushed for 156 yards and one score. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Shells to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
