The Marysville Monarchs will head out on the road to face off against the Olentangy Berlin Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Marysville will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Ohio Rankings (they are ranked 126th, while Olentangy Berlin is ranked 18th).
Last Friday, Marysville came up short against Olentangy and fell 39-29. Marysville has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their loss, Marysville saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. JJ Henry, who rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, was perhaps the best of all.
Meanwhile, Olentangy Berlin entered their tilt with Thomas Worthington with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. Olentangy Berlin claimed a resounding 38-7 victory over Thomas Worthington at home. The result was nothing new for Olentangy Berlin, who have now won four matches by 20 points or more so far this season.
Olentangy Berlin got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Mason Ziegler out in front who rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Alejandro Aguilar, who rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Marysville's loss dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Olentangy Berlin, their win was their ninth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 9-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Marysville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 201.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Olentangy Berlin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 165.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Marysville suffered a grim 34-14 defeat to Olentangy Berlin in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can Marysville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
