Football Game Preview: Grayslake Central Rams vs. Grant Community Bulldogs + Official Tickets

The Grayslake Central Rams will take on the Grant Community Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Grayslake Central has given up an average of 32.4 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Grayslake Central is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Wauconda on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Rams came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 53-27. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 273rd, while the Bulldogs are ranked 111th).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Grant Community). They blew past Round Lake, posting a 65-17 victory. The win continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won nine in a row.

Grayslake Central better keep an eye on Tyler Zdon. He was instrumental in Grant Community's win, rushing for 365 yards and six scores while picking up 22.8 yards per carry. Thanks to that big game, Zdon is now up to 14 rushing touchdowns on the season. Max Hembrey was in the mix as well, providing Grant Community with two touchdowns.

Grant Community was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 468 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Grayslake Central now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Grant Community, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.

Things could have been worse for Grayslake Central, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 49-34 loss to Grant Community in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Zdon, who rushed for 292 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.4 yards per carry. Now that the Rams know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.