Football Preview: Eisenhower Tigers vs. Andover Central Jaguars
A feisty cat fight will be fought when Tigers challenges the Andover Central Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Andover Central is hoping to do what Arkansas City couldn't on Friday: put an end to Eisenhower's winning streak, which now stands at six games. Eisenhower claimed a resounding 47-13 win over Arkansas City on the road. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 103rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Brayden Pappas was his usual excellent self, rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 106 rushing yards dating back to last season. Carter Pabst also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Eisenhower's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. In that department, Makai Tagatac was the leader with three. Another thorn in Arkansas City's side was Joe Santillan, who made 12 total tackles and defended three passes.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Andover Central on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 31-7 margin over Salina Central. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 24 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Andover Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Maddox Archibald, who rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. Archibald's longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandt Stupka, who picked up 204 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Eisenhower pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Andover Central, their record now sits at 5-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Eisenhower has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 171.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Andover Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 193.8. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Eisenhower's way against Andover Central in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as Eisenhower made off with a 41-17 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Eisenhower since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
