Football Preview: Knightstown Panthers vs. Centerville Bulldogs
Knightstown has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will welcome the Centerville Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Knightstown is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 41 points per game this season.
Knightstown is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since October 13, 2023 on Friday. They had to suffer through a 56-20 loss at the hands of Northeastern. The game marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite the loss, Knightstown got top-tier performance from Jameson Crawford, who rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 62 receiving yards. Crawford is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Gage Broady, who gained 86 total yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, while Centerville put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Union City. Centerville took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 55-0 win over Union City. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won five matches by 21 points or more so far this season.
Centerville found their leader in underclassman Jace Hollendonner, who threw for 257 yards and five touchdowns while completing 82.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown. Those 257 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Hollendonner. Ethan Vecera was another key player, picking up 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Centerville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Evan Noe, Vecera, and Eddie Parker picked up one apiece.
Knightstown has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-3 record this season. As for Centerville, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Knightstown has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 184.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Centerville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 180.1. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Knightstown took a serious blow against Centerville in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 49-3. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Knightstown was down 28-3.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
