Football Preview: Wayne Pioneers vs. Nitro Wildcats
The Wayne Pioneers will head out on the road to face off against the Nitro Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wayne will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
If Wayne beats Nitro with 26 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Wayne walked away with a 26-14 win over Winfield on Friday.
Jayden Wayman had a dynamite game for Wayne, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Wayman is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 106 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Ronnie Staley, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Wayne was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 305 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 204 rushing yards in 11 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Nitro hadn't done well against Chapmanville Regional recently (they were 0-8 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Nitro came out on top against Chapmanville Regional by a score of 34-21. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their seven-point performance the game before.
It was another big night for Josh Moody, who threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 31 yards. Malachi Thompson also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Nitro's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Zaevyon Dickerson, Malik Brown, and Brown picked up one apiece. Dickerson also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight. Nitro got some further help from Wyatt Sowards: he made 16 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Wayne's record is now 3-0. As for Nitro, their record is now 3-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Wayne has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 253.7 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Nitro has preferred to attack from the air: they average 301 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Wayne came up short against Nitro when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 33-21. Can Wayne avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
