Football Preview: Pope John Paul II vs. Valley View Cougars
On Friday Pope John Paul II will have to hit the road after five straight games at home. They will venture away from home to take on the Valley View Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Pope John Paul II is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-7 win over Springfield Township. Pope John Paul II might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by 28 points or more this season.
Dylan Skarbek was his usual excellent self, rushing for 167 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Brandon Deangelo also helped out as he racked up 108 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Valley View waltzed into their contest on Friday with ten straight wins... but they left with 11. They blew past the Mountaineers 41-14. The Cougars' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Valley View's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Zach Cwalinski led the charge by rushing for 149 yards and four touchdowns. Cwalinski 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. Ben Evans was in the mix too, providing Valley View with a touchdown.
Valley View was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 331 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in 11 consecutive games.
Valley View didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Nick Kucharski picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown.
Valley View's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.9 points per game. As for Pope John Paul II, their record now sits at 11-1.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Luke Terlesky and Cwalinski. Terlesky just won't slow down this season and has thrown 27 touchdowns while averaging 176.4 passing yards per game. Cwalinski has been a dominant force too and has thrown 7 touchdowns while averaging 76.9 passing yards per game.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Pope John Paul II has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 149.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Valley View struggles in that department as they've been averaging 231.9. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
