Football Preview: Thomas Dale Knights vs. Petersburg Crimson Wave
Thomas Dale is 10-0 against Petersburg since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Thomas Dale Knights will host the Petersburg Crimson Wave at 7:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Friday, Thomas Dale came up short against Hopewell and fell 21-14. Despite 64 more yards than the Blue Devils, the Knights couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Thomas Dale might have lost, but man, Jaiden Hite was a machine: he rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. Hite really tore up the turf during one magnificent 90-yard run.
Even though they lost, Thomas Dale was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 339 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Even if they lost, Thomas Dale's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Jonah Harris and Azavion Brown, who racked up all four sacks between them. Harris is becoming a predictor of Thomas Dale's success: when he posts at least two sacks the team is 4-2 (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, Petersburg was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They received a blow as they fell 33-14 to Colonial Heights.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Keith Melton, who rushed for 58 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Petersburg didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Micah Scott and Tayvion Johnson.
Thomas Dale's record is now 5-4. As for Petersburg, their record now sits at 2-7.
Thomas Dale took their victory against Petersburg in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 by a conclusive 24-0. Will Thomas Dale repeat their success, or does Petersburg have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
