Football Preview: Classical Purple vs. Pilgrim Patriots
Two dominant backs in Jordan Duke and Jacob Soulliere are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Classical Purple will head out to square off against the Pilgrim Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Pilgrim is hoping to do what East Greenwich couldn't last Friday: put an end to Classical's winning streak, which now stands at five games. Classical blew past East Greenwich 42-7 at home. Fans of the Purple have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Duke was his usual excellent self, rushing for 74 yards and four touchdowns on only eight carries, while also picking up 60 receiving yards. Another player making a difference was Parker Howley, who threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes.
Classical didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Duke, Jacoby Tavares, and Jerrae Brown picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pilgrim). They blew past East Greenwich 31-6 on Saturday. With the Patriots ahead 21-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Pilgrim had a senior duo take command as Carter Clifton threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns and Soulliere rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. Soulliere also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack and making four total tackles in addition to snagging an interception.
Classical's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Pilgrim, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Classical has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 283.2 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Pilgrim, though, as they've been averaging only 154.4. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Classical came up short against Pilgrim when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 17-7. Can Classical avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
