Football Game Preview: Ashton-Franklin Center Raiders vs. West Carroll Thunder

The Ashton-Franklin Center Raiders will head out to face off against the West Carroll Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ashton-Franklin Center hasn't scored more than 12 points for five games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse.

Ashton-Franklin Center's last matchup with River Ridge could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's matchup on Friday. The Raiders were beaten by the Wildcats 52-12.

Ashton-Franklin Center might have lost, but man, Kyler Willstead was a machine: he rushed for 161 yards and one TD while picking up 8.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 118 receiving yards and one score. Willstead really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 98 yards.

Meanwhile, West Carroll faced Milledgeville in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Thunder lost 54-28 to the Missiles.

Ashton-Franklin Center's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for West Carroll, the defeat was their first on the road , dropping their record down to 4-2.

Ashton-Franklin Center was dealt a bruising 57-8 loss at the hands of West Carroll when the teams last played back in September of 2024. Thankfully for the Raiders, Raef Pickard-Schintgen (who rushed for 175 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.