Two dominant backs in Hunter Cole and Armond Graves are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Burlington Wildcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Wellsville Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Burlington has given up an average of 33.1 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Burlington turned things around against Iola on Friday. They came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 48-38. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their 13-point performance the game before.
Alex Mautz continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 107 yards and one TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Burlington was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 488 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 186 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Wellsville got themselves on the board against Osawatomie on Friday, but Osawatomie never followed suit. They breezed past the Trojans to the tune of 72-0. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by 27 points or more this season.
Wellsville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off six passes before the game was over. Ryker Robertson and Ayden Frack were the leaders of the group effort as each produced two apiece. Robertson got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Wellsville, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Frack, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Burlington's record is now 2-5. As for Wellsville, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Burlington has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 194 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wellsville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 217.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Burlington might still be hurting after the 35-14 defeat they got from Wellsville in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Graves, who rushed for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 12 carries. Now that the Wildcats know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
