After three games on the road, Ben Davis is heading back home. They will welcome the Lawrence Central Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Ben Davis is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Carmel, who was ranked 25th in their home state at the time (Ben Davis was ranked 14th). Ben Davis simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Carmel 58-30 on the road. The Giants' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Ben Davis found their leader in underclassman Joe Goss, who threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes, and also punched in a rushing score. Alijah Price helped Goss out on the ground, rushing for 138 yards while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
One reason for the win was Ben Davis' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Gavin Lamb was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up twohimself. Another thorn in Carmel's side was Frank Bertram, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Central posted their biggest win since August 18, 2023 on Friday. They breezed by North Central at home to the tune of 42-7. With that victory, the Bears brought their scoring average up to 28.2 points per game.
Terry Walker Iii was his usual excellent self, rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, while also throwing for 161 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 passes. He is becoming a predictor of Lawrence Central's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Chyron Harrison was another key player, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Lawrence Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 333 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Lawrence Central wouldn't let North Central keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Lawrence Central can thank Dalen Smith and Gian Carter for forcing both of them. Smith also set a new season high mark in total tackles with nine.
The win snapped Ben Davis' losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 2-5 record. As for Lawrence Central, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
We should be in store for an exciting game as both have no problem gaining yardage. Ben Davis has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 359.1 total yards per game. However, it's not like Lawrence Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 361.1. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Ben Davis skirted past Lawrence Central 26-23 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will Ben Davis repeat their success, or does Lawrence Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
