Football Preview: Lanphier Lions vs. Normal University Pioneers
Lanphier hasn't had much luck against Normal University recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lanphier Lions will look to defend their home field against the Normal University Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Lanphier is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 17th straight game dating back to last season on Friday. They had to suffer through a 76-42 loss at the hands of Decatur Eisenhower. One positive for the Lions, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, Normal University had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They claimed a resounding 51-6 win over the Spartans at home. Considering the Pioneers have won six games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Normal University to victory, but perhaps none more so than Alek Weiland, who threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. Weiland is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last six games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Rhett Lynch, who rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries.
Normal University didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. Chenzo Cottone picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. Normal University got some further help from Cole Matejka: he picked up 2.5 sacks, made four total tackles (3.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Lanphier's defeat dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Normal University, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season.
Lanphier took a serious blow against Normal University when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 68-6. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Lanphier was down 56-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
