Football Preview: Providence Pioneers vs. Milan Indians
Providence has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will venture away from home to face off against the Milan Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Providence's defense has only allowed 8.4 points per game this season, so Milan's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Providence is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Charlestown: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Providence blew Charlestown out of the water with a 42-12 final score. Given the Pioneers' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 113th, while the Pirates are ranked 251st), the result last Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Providence got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Cooper Ross out in front who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Ross a new career-high in rushing yards. Backing up that air attack was Preston Kempf, who rushed for 82 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Providence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Providence's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. Trevor Unruh led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Another thorn in Charlestown's side was Griffin Tucker, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Milan got themselves on the board against Eastern Hancock on Friday, but Eastern Hancock never followed suit. They walked away with an 8-0 victory over the Royals. The win was familiar territory for the Indians who have now won three matchups in a row.
Providence's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Milan, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Providence has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Milan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 200.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Providence against Milan in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 41-13 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Providence since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
