Monroe Central and Shenandoah are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2015, but not for long. The Golden Bears will be playing in front of their home fans against the Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Monroe Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 27.4 points per game this season.
Monroe Central was handed a heart-breaking three-point loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian on Friday. The Golden Bears simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Braves 56-28. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-14.
Ethan Hunt
| 10/10/25 vs Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian | 133 |
| 09/05/25 @ Richmond | 125 |
| 08/29/25 vs Union City | 103 |
| 10/03/25 vs Osceola Grace Eagles | 77 |
| 09/19/25 vs Tindley | 74 |
| + 3 more games |
Ethan Hunt continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 133 yards and five touchdowns on only ten carries. He has become a key player for Monroe Central: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 2-3 otherwise. Caleb Luedike was another key back, rushing for 111 yards on only nine carries.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Monroe Central proved: they limited Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian to a paltry three yards per carry. While two picked up at least ten total tackles, Hunt stood above the rest. He rushed for 133 yards and five TDs on only ten carries. Monroe Central's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed five yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.07 on average over their last five games.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks on offense in their last four contests, Shenandoah finally came back down to earth on Friday. They took a 14-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of Eastern Hancock. The matchup marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Monroe Central will have to keep a close watch on Jarrett Helman and Karter Gray, a pair of players who had a big impact on Shenandoah's prior game. Helman threw for 102 yards and one touchdown while completing 76.2% of his passes, while Gray picked up 40 receiving yards and one score. Gray didn't just play on offense: he also forced one fumble and made three total tackles.
The victory got Monroe Central back to even at 4-4. As for Shenandoah, they moved to 5-3 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Monroe Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 237.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Shenandoah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 181 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Monroe Central might still be hurting after the 28-7 loss they got from Shenandoah in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Golden Bears were down 21-0.
