Preview: Lenape Valley Patriots vs. Sussex County Tech
The Lenape Valley Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Sussex County Tech at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in New Jersey (Lenape Valley is ranked 175th, while Sussex County Tech is ranked 171st).
The third road contest was the charm for Lenape Valley, as they earned their first road win of the season. They came out on top against Wallkill Valley by a score of 23-14 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sussex County Tech had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They didn't even let Kittatinny Regional onto the board and left with a 14-0 win.
Sussex County Tech got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Brian Gruber out in front who rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Gruber is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. Andrew Baker also helped out as he racked up 102 rushing yards.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Kittatinny Regional to a paltry 249 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Sussex County Tech's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out four times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Gavin Mericle and his two sacks.
Their wins bumped Lenape Valley to 3-3 and Sussex County Tech to 5-2.
Everything went Lenape Valley's way against Sussex County Tech when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as Lenape Valley made off with a 29-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lenape Valley since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
