Football Preview: Maplewood Tigers vs. Lakeview Sailors
The Maplewood Tigers will face off against the Lakeview Sailors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lakeview took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Maplewood, who comes in off a win.
Maplewood took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 27-16 victory over Cochranton.
A big part of the win came down to the chemistry between Kyle Jordan and his top target Andrew Proper. Jordan rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown while Proper gained 209 total yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in rushing yards.
One reason for the win was Maplewood's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Leading the way was Zayne Smith and his 2.5.
Meanwhile, Lakeview didn't have quite enough to beat Saegertown on Friday and fell 31-29. The loss was the Sailors' first of the season.
Lakeview's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Blake Skiles, who gained 257 total yards and two touchdowns, and Brayden Booher, who rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Skiles got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 84 yards.
Even though they lost, Lakeview was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards in five consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Lakeview wouldn't let Saegertown keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Lakeview can thank Leyton Zacherl and Booher for forcing both of them. Booher also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble, making 17 total tackles (9.5 for loss), and defending a pass.
Maplewood now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Lakeview, their defeat was their first of the season and also makes their record 2-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Maplewood has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 188.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lakeview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 191.3. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Maplewood was taken down by Lakeview 46-0 when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Maplewood, Mitchell Tingley (who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
