Preview: Riverdale Raiders vs. Lehigh Lightning
The Riverdale Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Lehigh Lightning at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Riverdale never got on the board in their matchup on October 6th, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Ida Baker two weeks ago. They breezed by the Bulldogs at home to the tune of 34-0. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Riverdale had established a 21 point advantage.
Lovensky Blanchard and Cole Hayes were among the main playmakers for Riverdale as the former rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and the latter rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Orville Jackson made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Lehigh never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against North Fort Myers last Friday. They blew past the Red Knights 39-14.
Dorian Mallary had an outrageously good game as he threw for 185 yards and five touchdowns.
Riverdale's victory ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-6. As for Lehigh, their win bumped their record up to an identical 2-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Riverdale has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 253.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Lehigh, though, as they've been averaging only 60.6 per game. How will Lehigh fare against such a dominant running game?
Riverdale took a serious blow against Lehigh in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 35-0. Thankfully for Riverdale, Richard Young (who rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
