Football Game Preview: Salem Wildcats vs. Charleston Trojans

The Salem Wildcats will venture away from home to take on the Charleston Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Salem is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight games on Friday. They took a blow against Freeburg, falling 45-18. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 309th, while the Midgets are ranked 126th).

Trey Clark

Rushing Yards

10/17/25 @ Freeburg	181
10/10/25 vs Columbia	137
10/03/25 @ Breese Central	104

Despite the loss, Salem got top-tier performance from Trey Clark, who rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Clark's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 104 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Charleston fell victim to Mahomet-Seymour and their airtight defense on Friday. They had to suffer through a 49-0 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. The defeat continues a trend for the Trojans in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost nine in a row.

Even if they lost, Charleston's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: AIDAN WAYNE and DYLAN MONTGOMERY, who each picked up one sack apiece.

Charleston's loss dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Salem, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.

Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Salem has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 214.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Charleston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 148.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Everything went Salem's way against Charleston in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Salem made off with a 35-10 victory. In that contest, the Wildcats amassed a halftime lead of 28-3, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.