Football Preview: Center Grove Trojans vs. Lawrence North Wildcats
Center Grove is 10-0 against Lawrence North since October of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Center Grove Trojans will square off against the Lawrence North Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Center Grove is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Cathedral, who was ranked fourth in their home state at the time (Center Grove was ranked sixth). Center Grove fell to Cathedral 49-45. One positive for the Trojans, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Center Grove's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Drake Mcclurg, who gained 144 total yards and two touchdowns, and Nolan Rees, who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Rees really tore up the turf during one magnificent 80-yard run. Gabe Mcwilliams also helped out by tossing the rock for 314 yards.
Even though they lost, Center Grove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 226 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Lawrence North put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Warren Central as Lawrence North made off with a 33-7 victory. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 21 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lawrence North to victory, but perhaps none more so than Davion Chandler, who picked up 126 receiving yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Tanner Aspeslet, who threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
Lawrence North's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Warren Central's QB won't forget Marcus Jackson anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Jackson is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Caleb Beeler was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (4.0 for loss).
The defeat snapped Center Grove's winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 5-2 record. As for Lawrence North, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-0.
We should be in store for an exciting game as both have no problem gaining yardage. Center Grove has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 399.7 total yards per game. However, it's not like Lawrence North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 369.3. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Center Grove strolled past Lawrence North in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a score of 43-26. The rematch might be a little tougher for Center Grove since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
