The North Baltimore Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Ridgedale Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in North Baltimore's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
North Baltimore is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Perry: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Tigers blew the Commodores out of the water with a 54-6 final score. With the Tigers ahead 34-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
North Baltimore got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Luke Long out in front who threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns on only 16 passes, and also rushed for 101 yards and one TD on only six carries. Long got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 66 yards. Brody Walter was another key back, rushing for 141 yards and a pair of scores on only 14 carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: North Baltimore was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 250 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 250 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, the third road matchup was the charm for Ridgedale, as they earned their first away win of the season. They strolled past Hardin Northern with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 14-0.
North Baltimore better keep an eye on Michael Deas. He was instrumental in Ridgedale's win, rushing for 90 yards and one TD, while also picking up 38 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ridgedale's defense and their four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece.
North Baltimore's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. The home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.2 points on average this season. As for Ridgedale, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: North Baltimore has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 291.7 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Ridgedale, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 70.3 passing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
North Baltimore strolled past Ridgedale in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 32-13. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
