Preview: Constantine Falcons vs. Buchanan Bucks
Constantine is 4-0 against Buchanan since September of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Constantine Falcons will look to defend their home field against the Buchanan Bucks at 1:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Constantine comes in on eight and Buchanan on four.
Constantine stacked a sixth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Olivet 42-12 at home. Given Constantine's advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan football rankings (they are ranked 98th, while Olivet is ranked 322nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Bennett Vandenberg, who rushed for 195 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Rushawn James, who rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Olivet to a paltry 78 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Constantine'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 Michael Featherstone and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Buchanan earned a 29-21 win over Hackett Catholic Prep on Friday.
Constantine's win was their ninth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 9-1. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 30.67 points. As for Buchanan, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Constantine against Buchanan in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 54-12 victory. Does Constantine have another victory up their sleeve, or will Buchanan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
