Football Game Preview: Syracuse Rockets vs. Gross Catholic Cougars

Syracuse is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Gross Catholic is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Rockets will take on the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Syracuse's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last six matchups.

If Syracuse beats Gross Catholic with 54 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Rockets claimed a resounding 54-7 victory over Wilber-Clatonia. Considering the Rockets have won five games by more than 26 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Will Janssen

Rushing Yards

10/24/25 @ Wilber-Clatonia	180
10/17/25 @ Auburn	239
10/10/25 vs Falls City	140
10/03/25 @ Nebraska City	253
09/26/25 vs Fairbury	175
+ 4 more games

A big part of Syracuse's win came down to the chemistry between Will Janssen and his top target Mason Lintz. Janssen rushed for 180 yards and two scores on only 11 carries while Lintz rushed for 235 yards and three TDs on only 13 carries. Janssen is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 100 every time he's taken the field this season.

Syracuse was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 519 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wilber-Clatonia only rushed for 143.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Gross Catholic's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They had to suffer through a 46-14 loss at the hands of Ashland-Greenwood. The Cougars were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-7.

Gross Catholic's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 6-3. As for Syracuse, their victory bumped their record up to 9-0.