Football Game Preview: Patton Panthers vs. East Rutherford Cavaliers

The Patton Panthers will challenge the East Rutherford Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Patton has given up an average of 33.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Patton came up short against West Caldwell on Friday, falling 42-20. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, East Rutherford had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 41.4 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 63-0 win over the Trojans. Give the Cavaliers' defense some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.

Patton better keep an eye on Brandon Pinkerton. He was instrumental in East Rutherford's win, rushing for 198 yards and three scores on only 15 carries. Pinkerton's longest rush was for an impressive 64 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Landon Flynn, who threw for 236 yards and three TDs while completing 85.7% of his passes.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something East Rutherford proved: they limited Chase to a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Tayshaun Whiteside for the heroic effort on defense: he. East Rutherford didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 10.2.

East Rutherford didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Zeke Wingo and Jaylen Hinton. Hinton got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Patton's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for East Rutherford, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Patton was dealt a bruising 58-6 defeat at the hands of East Rutherford in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.