Football Game Preview: Girard Indians vs. South Range Raiders

Girard hasn't had much luck against South Range recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Indians will head out to square off against the Raiders at 7:00 p.m. Girard knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully South Range likes a good challenge.

Girard's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Lakeview, posting a 35-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Indians in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won eight in a row.

AJ Pearson

Rushing Touchdowns

09/26/25 vs Lakeview	3
09/19/25 vs Garaway	3
09/12/25 vs Struthers	2
09/05/25 @ Edgewood	3

A big part of Girard's win came down to the chemistry between AJ Pearson and his top target Sam Scott. Pearson rushed for 121 yards and three scores on only 14 carries while Scott rushed for 105 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries. Pearson is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in each of the last four games he's played.

Girard was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 176 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.

Girard's defense made their presence known, laying out Asa Lantz three times. Leading the way was Allen Hess-Cardona with two sacks.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for South Range's offense. They were beaten by Poland Seminary 34-0 on Friday. Having soared to a lofty 43 points in the game before, the Raiders' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Girard's record is now 6-0. As for South Range, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.

Things could have been worse for Girard, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 49-30 loss to South Range in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Can the Indians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.