After two games on the road, Johnston is heading back home. They will welcome the Classical Purple at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Johnston fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Pilgrim on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 52-50. One positive for the Panthers, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Defeat or not, Johnston got some senior leadership from Dean Paris and Matt Clements. Paris gained 233 total yards and three touchdowns, while Clements threw for 196 yards and four touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Paris a new career-high in rushing yards (176). Ethan Placella was in the mix as well, providing Johnston with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Classical faced Ponaganset in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Everything went Classical's way against Ponaganset as Classical made off with a 45-24 win. The result was nothing new for the Purple, who have now won six matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
Classical relied on the efforts of Jordan Duke, who gained 245 total yards and three touchdowns, and Parker Howley, who threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per attempt.
Classical's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. London Vincent was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three sackshimself.
Johnston's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Classical, their victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1.
Friday's match will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Paris and Duke. Paris has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 81.7 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Duke has averaged 59.7 rushing yards per game this season.
Johnston beat Classical 42-35 in their previous matchup back in April of 2021. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Classical's Samuel Baddoo, who rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Johnston to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
