Football Preview: North Daviess Cougars vs. Providence Pioneers
The North Daviess Cougars will challenge the Providence Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
North Daviess is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 24-8 victory over Perry Central. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
North Daviess' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Coltyn McNabb, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown. Keaton Graber also helped with two touchdowns in total.
North Daviess wouldn't let Perry Central keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. North Daviess can thank Eli Scott and Casyn Bishop for forcing both of them. Anderson Aiman was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (1.5 for loss).
Meanwhile, Providence put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by Forest Park to the tune of 31-3. The Pioneers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 24 points or more this season.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Kalen Sipes and Cooper Ross. Sipes gained 125 total yards and three touchdowns while Ross rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Sipes' longest rush was for an impressive 66 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Providence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 273 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 227 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Providence's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Zac Medlock and Lukas Allgood, who racked up five sacks between them. Medlock also set a new season high mark in total tackles with six. Providence got some further help from Lincoln Kruer: he made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Providence's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.1 points per game. As for North Daviess, their record is now 8-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. North Daviess has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Providence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 208.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
North Daviess took a serious blow against Providence when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 50-13. Can North Daviess 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
