Football Preview: Blaine Bengals vs. Maple Grove Crimson
Blaine hasn't had much luck against Maple Grove recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Blaine Bengals will venture away from home to challenge the Maple Grove Crimson at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Blaine took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 48-21 win over Osseo at home. The matchup marked the Bengals' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Sam Shaughessy continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 162 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry, and also throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 50 yards. Muizz Fowoshere was another major influence, as he rushed for 66 yards and ran in a TD.
Blaine wouldn't let Osseo keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Blaine can thank Jeremiah Reynolds and Ashton Mattson for forcing both of them. Mattson also set a new season high mark in total tackles with nine. Carter Mackey was another major factor on D, picking up 0.5 sacks and making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Maple Grove put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Anoka 55-14 at home. Given the Crimson's advantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota football rankings (they are ranked 25th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 176th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Blaine's record is now 3-1. As for Maple Grove, their record now sits at 4-0.
Blaine was dealt a bruising 55-21 loss at the hands of Maple Grove in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Can Blaine avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
