Football Game Preview: Doherty Memorial Highlanders vs. Auburn Rockets + Official Tickets

Doherty Memorial is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will head out on the road to face off against the Auburn Rockets at 7:00 p.m.

Doherty Memorial is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 38 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Shrewsbury on Friday. They fell 21-13 to the Colonials. The Highlanders have struggled against the Colonials recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, Auburn had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They came within six points of losing the streak, but they secured a 39-33 W against the Spartans. The win almost wasn't to be: the Rockets were down 33-18 in the third quarter.

Doherty Memorial better keep an eye on Bradyn Belanger. He was instrumental in Auburn's win, rushing for 184 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 42 receiving yards and one score. Belanger's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 110 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Jayden Ortiz, who threw for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Doherty Memorial's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Auburn, their record is now 4-1.

Doherty Memorial didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Auburn in their previous meeting back in September of 2015, but they still walked away with a 20-14 victory. Will the Highlanders repeat their success, or do the Rockets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.