Football Recap: Salem Comes Up Short

Salem played a tough match on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against the Richland County Tigers, falling 31-6. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 21-0.

Despite the loss, Salem still got an impressive performance from Trey Clark, who rushed for 99 yards on only 12 carries.

Gavyn Cothern had an outrageously good game for Richland County as he rushed for 107 yards and a pair of TDs, and also threw for 195 yards and one touchdown while completing 84.6% of his passes. What's more, Cothern racked up 150.3 passer rating, the most he's had since back in September of 2024. Xavier Owusu-Gyan was another key player, rushing for 82 yards and one score.

This is the second loss in a row for Salem and nudges their season record down to 0-2. As for Richland County, they have started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Salem is packing up and heading out for their first away game of the season: they will square off against Mattoon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Richland County, they will head out to take on Lawrenceville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. This will be the Tigers' first chance to prove their worth in the conference.