Preview: North Star Cougars vs. Windber Ramblers
North Star has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on The Windber Ramblers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Pennsylvania (North Star is ranked 322nd, while Windber is ranked 323rd).
After only six points in their last game, North Star made sure to put some points up on the board against West Branch on Friday. North Star strolled past West Branch with points to spare, taking the game 49-35. North Star pushed the score to 49-14 by the end of the third, a deficit West Branch cut but never quite recovered from.
North Star relied on the efforts of Ethan Smith, who picked up 241 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Connor Yoder, who threw for 372 yards and seven touchdowns while picking up 18.6 yards per attempt. Smith's longest reception was for an incredible 74 yards. Ethan Eller did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 52 receiving yards.
North Star's defensive line stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Ian Koval and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Windber put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Juniata Valley 56-0 on the road. The high flying offensive effort was a huge turnaround for Windber's six-point performance the game before.
RJ Tallion was the offensive standout of the contest as he rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Evan Brady also helped out with an impressive 85 receiving yards.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 7-3.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. North Star has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 155.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Windber struggles in that department as they've been even better at 194.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
North Star took their victory against Windber when the teams last played back in September by a conclusive 41-20. Does North Star have another victory up their sleeve, or will Windber turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
