Football Preview: Juniata Indians vs. Susquenita Blackhawks
The Juniata Indians will square off against the Susquenita Blackhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Juniata's defense has only allowed 11 points per game this season, so Susquenita's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Juniata is returning home triumphant after the team finally put their road woes behind them against Camp Hill on Friday. Juniata really took it to Camp Hill for the full four quarters, racking up a 35-7 victory on the road. With the Indians ahead 21-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Juniata's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Javier Lopez led the charge by rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown. Lopez also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack and making four total tackles in addition to snagging an interception. Connor Boreman was another key pass catcher, gaining 61 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Juniata was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 301 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Juniata's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Jasper Shepps and Lopez.
Meanwhile, Susquenita can finally bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Newport 29-26. The Blackhawks' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Susquenita relied on the efforts of Jacob Brown, who rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and Blaise Swancer, who picked up 153 receiving yards and a touchdown. With that strong performance, Swancer is now averaging an impressive 101.8 receiving yards per game.
Juniata now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Susquenita, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Juniata has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Susquenita, though, as they've been averaging only 35.2. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Juniata came up short against Susquenita in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 18-7. Can Juniata avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
