The Northfield Norsemen will venture away from home to take on the Rochester Zebras at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Northfield has given up an average of 38.7 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Northfield headed into their last game having not scored more than 13 points for four straight, but Wabash let them put that streak behind them. The Norsemen snuck past the Apaches with a 47-41 win on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Norsemen in their matchups with the Apaches: they've now won seven in a row.
Northfield relied on the efforts of Luke Eviston, who rushed for 129 yards, and Tyler Haupert, who rushed for 59 yards and one touchdown on only five carries. Haupert also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making four total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defending one pass.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Northfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 381 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Rochester got themselves on the board against Peru on Friday, but Peru never followed suit. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 50-0 win over the Tigers. The Zebras might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 34 points or more this season.
Rochester's win came from a few key players Northfield will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Trenton Meadows, who picked up 74 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and also rushed for 54 yards and one TD on only five carries. Brant Beck was another key back, rushing for 118 yards and one touchdown on only 11 carries.
Rochester's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Northfield, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Northfield was taken down by Rochester 42-7 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Beck, who rushed for 166 yards and three scores while picking up 7.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 77 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Now that the Norsemen know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
