Football Preview: Vernon Vikings vs. Sparta Spartans
Vernon has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will venture away from home to take on the Sparta Spartans on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Vernon is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Jefferson Township, posting a 42-7 win at home. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Falcons are ranked 260th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Vernon's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gavin Bruno, who rushed for 40 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 31 receiving yards. Thomas Benson handled things on the ground, rushing for 85 yards and a rushing touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Vernon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Vernon's defense and their three sacks. Leading the way was Roman Drupka with two.
Meanwhile, Sparta waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They claimed a resounding 39-7 win over the Braves on the road.
Vernon pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Sparta, their record now sits at 3-1.
Vernon strolled past Sparta when the teams last played back in September of 2023 by a score of 21-7. Will Vernon repeat their success, or does Sparta have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
