Football Preview: Westfield Shamrocks vs. Harrison Raiders
Westfield is 10-0 against Harrison since August of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. After each having a week off, both will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. Westfield will be looking to keep their seven-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Westfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Franklin Central, who was ranked 14th in their home state at the time (Westfield was ranked third). Westfield simply couldn't be stopped last Friday as they easily beat Franklin Central 44-7. Considering the Shamrocks have won four matches by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Westfield can attribute much of their success to Deacon King, who rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries, and Carsen Melvin, who threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes. King's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 105 rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Beau Braun, who picked up 96 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Westfield wouldn't let Franklin Central keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Westfield can thank Ja'Deon Smith and Drew Law for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Harrison won a matchup that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Kokomo 29-28.
Westfield's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Harrison, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Westfield has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Harrison struggles in that department as they've been averaging 155.9. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Westfield took their victory against Harrison in their previous matchup back in August of 2021 by a conclusive 33-11. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Harrison's Hunter Newman, who rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Westfield to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
