The Archer City Wildcats will challenge the Petrolia Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Archer City has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Petrolia will arrive with seven straight wins.
Archer City blew Electra out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Friday Electra got their revenge. The Wildcats fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 22-20.
Although Archer City took the loss, they still got scores from Noah Reneau, Gage L McCord, and Jake Strenski.
Meanwhile, Petrolia really took it to Munday for the full four quarters, racking up a 53-14 victory. Considering the Pirates have won six games by more than 21 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Petrolia's win came from a few key players Archer City will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kason Gee, who rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.7 yards per carry. Those 216 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brodie Jackson, who rushed for 154 yards and three scores on only 14 carries.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Petrolia proved: they limited Munday to a paltry 1.9 yards per carry. While four picked up at least two total tackles, Christopher Vallance stood above the rest. He picked up a sack and made two total tackles (2.0 for loss). Petrolia didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 10.7.
Petrolia's defense didn't let Haiden Bowman, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, Wyatt Eakin was the leader with two.
Archer City's loss dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Petrolia, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Archer City has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Petrolia struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 302.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Archer City beat Petrolia 34-22 in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
