Preview: Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders vs. Rolesville Rams
Cardinal Gibbons has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Rolesville Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Cardinal Gibbons: 16.5, Rolesville: 17.4) so any points scored will be well earned.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Cardinal Gibbons walked away with it. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Comets 30-28.
Cardinal Gibbons got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Gannon Jones out in front who threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 passes. Jones is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played. Cardinal Gibbons also got help from Sean Manuel who showed off his sure hands for 92 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Rolesville entered their tilt with Fuquay - Varina with ten consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 11. Rolesville breezed by Fuquay - Varina at home to the tune of 69-21. Rolesville might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 11 matches by 20 points or more this season.
Rolesville's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Devon Thomas, who rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.2 yards per carry. Thomas has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last five times he's played. Jaedon Alford did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 156 receiving yards.
Cardinal Gibbons' win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. As for Rolesville, their victory bumped their record up to 12-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as the pair have no problem gaining yardage. Cardinal Gibbons has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 401.2 total yards per game. However, it's not like Rolesville struggles in that department as they've been even better at 529.1 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Cardinal Gibbons might still be hurting after the 52-32 defeat they got from Rolesville in their previous matchup back in September. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rolesville's Thomas, who rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.5 yards per carry. Now that Cardinal Gibbons knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
