Preview: Farrell Steelers vs. Cathedral Prep Ramblers
Farrell is on a nine-game streak of home wins, while Cathedral Prep is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Farrell Steelers will take on the Cathedral Prep Ramblers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Saturday, Farrell never let their opponents score. They blew past Slippery Rock 49-0 on the road. Given Farrell's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 50th, while Slippery Rock is ranked 424th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Farrell can attribute much of their success to Kabron Smith, who threw for 127 yards and two touchdowns while completing 91.7% of his passes, and Juelz Johnson, who rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Johnson hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for three straight games. Danny Odem iii also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Meanwhile, Cathedral Prep took their contest at home last Friday with ease, bagging a 38-8 victory over Erie. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 31-0.
Cathedral Prep got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Dajoure Hollingsworth out in front who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries, and also picked up 64 receiving yards. Hollingsworth really tore up the turf during one magnificent 79-yard run. Another player making a difference was Luke Costello, who rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
Their wins bumped Farrell to 9-0 and Cathedral Prep to 5-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Farrell has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cathedral Prep struggles in that department as they've been even better at 283.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
