Two dominant backs in Andrew Field and Jordan Rutan are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The St. Marys Flying Dutch will be playing at home against the Punxsutawney Chucks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Marys has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight defeats, while Punxsutawney will come in with seven straight victories.
On Friday, St. Marys lost to Central Clarion [Clarion/Clarion-Limestone/North Clarion] at home by a 21-6 margin. While losing is never fun, the Flying Dutch can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 243rd, while Central Clarion [Clarion/Clarion-Limestone/North Clarion] are ranked 118th).
Meanwhile, Punxsutawney hadn't done well against Redbank Valley recently (they were 0-7 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Chucks simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Bulldogs 56-14. Considering the Chucks have won three contests by more than 30 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
St. Marys better keep an eye on Maddox Hetrick. He was instrumental in Punxsutawney's win, throwing for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 86.7% of his passes, and also punching in one score on the ground. The dominant performance also gave Hetrick a new career-high in passer rating (166). Another player making a difference was Beau Thomas, who picked up 96 receiving yards and one TD.
Punxsutawney didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Redbank Valley to a completion percentage of just 48%. The team can thank Jaden Greenblatt for the heroic effort on defense: he. Punxsutawney has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.63 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.63 in their last three games.
Punxsutawney's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. In that department, Teeg Hetrick was the leader with two.
Punxsutawney's win bumped their record up to 7-0. As for St. Marys, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. St. Marys has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Punxsutawney struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 200.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
St. Marys ended up a good deal behind Punxsutawney in their previous meeting back in August of 2024, losing 30-13. Will the Flying Dutch have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
