Harrisburg has won eight straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Central Catholic has won eight straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Saturday. The Cougars will challenge the Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Harrisburg is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Central York 38-10. The Cougars pushed the score to 32-10 by the end of the third, a deficit the Panthers had little chance of recovering from.
Messiah Mickens
| 11/21/25 @ Central York | 228 |
| 11/15/25 vs Manheim Township | 65 |
| 11/08/25 vs Central Dauphin | 58 |
| 10/18/25 vs Central Dauphin | 113 |
| 08/30/25 vs Bishop McDevitt | 64 |
| + 1 more games |
It was another big night for Messiah Mickens, who rushed for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 116 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Mikal Shank Jr, who threw for 184 yards and three TDs while completing 78.6% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Harrisburg was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 353 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Harrisburg's defense and their three sacks. Mickens refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic won against North Allegheny last Saturday with 42 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Vikings blew past State College 42-21. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 34-7.
Central Catholic's win came from a few key players Harrisburg will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Chrys Black Jr, who rushed for 107 yards and one score on only 14 carries, and also caught one touchdown. Aiden Nasiadka did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 138 receiving yards.
Harrisburg's record is now 13-0. As for Central Catholic, their record now sits at 12-1.
Saturday's contest might be decided on the ground. Harrisburg has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 190.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 173.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Harrisburg came up short against Central Catholic in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 38-33. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
