Football Preview: Marietta Blue Devils vs. Wheeler Wildcats
After three games on the road, Marietta is heading back home. They will host the Wheeler Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 813 yards in their previous games.
Having struggled with six defeats in a row dating back to last season, Marietta finally turned things around against Etowah on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Eagles 34-0 on the road. The Blue Devils' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Marietta's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Anthony Kruah led the charge by rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 39 receiving yards. Kruah showed off some serious burst, turning on the jets for a run for 62 yards. Another back making a difference was Landon Mannery, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Marietta was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 222 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive contests.
Marietta's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. Caleb Graham led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself.
Meanwhile, Wheeler was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They came up short against Walton, falling 43-21. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 127th, while the Raiders are ranked 38th).
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Josiah Allen and Lucas Farrington. Farrington had a great game and rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Allen was balling out in the loss, rushing for 169 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries.
Marietta's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Wheeler, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-5.
Everything went Marietta's way against Wheeler in their previous matchup back in September of 2020 as Marietta made off with a 35-14 victory. Does Marietta have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wheeler turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
