Preview: Huntley Red Raiders vs. Central Rockets
Huntley is 4-0 against Central since October of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Huntley Red Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Central Rockets at 7:00 p.m. Huntley is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Huntley at home against Dundee-Crown as the team secured a 35-7 victory. Given Huntley's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while Dundee-Crown is ranked 272nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Among those leading the charge was Braylon Bower, who rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 77 yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Another big playmaker for Huntley was Zach Rysavy, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Central ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Hampshire 17-14.
Huntley's win was their ninth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 7-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-8 Hampshire and 1-7 Dundee-Crown (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 41.5% over those games). As for Central, their victory on Friday bumped their record up to 4-4.
Huntley beat Central 16-7 in their previous matchup back in September of 2022. Will Huntley repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
