Football Preview: Center Grove Trojans vs. Lawrence Central Bears
Center Grove has gone 9-1 against Lawrence Central recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Center Grove Trojans will host the Lawrence Central Bears at 7:00 p.m. Center Grove will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Center Grove will head into Friday's match hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by 23) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged Trotwood-Madison out 28-25. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked fourth in Indiana, while the Rams are ranked 151st in Ohio), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Center Grove's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nolan Rees, who rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Tristan Baxter, who picked up 92 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Center Grove'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 Luke Barrett and James Soderdahl. Soderdahl has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lawrence Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They walked away with a 22-14 victory over Pike on Friday.
The critical scores for Lawrence Central came from Albert Gooden Iii, Nizyi Davis, and Davis.
Lawrence Central wouldn't let Pike keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Lawrence Central can thank Gian Carter and Davis for forcing both of them. Lawrence Central got some further help from Robert Beasley: he picked up two sacks, made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss), and made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Center Grove's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Lawrence Central, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
Center Grove took their win against Lawrence Central in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 31-7. Will Center Grove repeat their success, or does Lawrence Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
