Wagner hasn't had much luck against Smithson Valley recently, but that could start to change on Friday. After each having a week off, both will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Wagner is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by MacArthur on the road to the tune of 55-3 last Friday. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 276th, while the Brahmas are ranked 914th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Charles Mondy was the offensive standout of the game as he rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 91 yards and two touchdowns on only eight passes. His longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Castillo, who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Wagner was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 245 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in 15 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Wagner wouldn't let MacArthur keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Teshawn Cunningham was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. Wagner got some further help from Kevon Carter: he picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Smithson Valley has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 14.6 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit last Friday. They fell just short of Pieper by a score of 39-36. While the Rangers had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Warriors 14-10.
The win got Wagner back to even at 2-2. As for Smithson Valley, their loss ended an eight-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 3-2.
Wagner lost to Smithson Valley on the road by a decisive 24-7 margin in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Can Wagner avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
