Football Preview: Central Braves vs. Chandler Lions
The Central Braves will venture away from home to square off against the Chandler Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Central is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Metro Christian on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Central was outmatched by Metro Christian on the road and fell 42-8. The loss continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now lost three in a row.
Meanwhile, the third road match was the charm for Chandler, as they earned their first road win of the season. They were the clear victor by a 42-16 margin over Westville on Thursday. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Oklahoma football rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while the Yellowjackets are ranked 231st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grant McGinnis was his usual excellent self, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also picking up 40 receiving yards and a touchdown. He didn't just play on offense: he also made six total tackles and defended a pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned for a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Cruz Jackson, who threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns on only ten passes.
Chandler didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of McGinnis and Darius Wade. McGinnis also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Chandler is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise.
Central's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Chandler, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
