The River Valley Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Purchase Line Red Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. River Valley will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
River Valley proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 28) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] 10-7. The score was all tied up 0-0 at the break, but the Panthers were the better team in the second half.
Meanwhile, Purchase Line played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They lost 27-7 to Homer-Center. While losing is never fun, the Red Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 313th, while the Wildcats are ranked 155th).
River Valley will have to contain Victor Bartlebaugh as he made an impact in Purchase Line's last game. He rushed for 141 yards and one score.
Purchase Line's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for River Valley, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. River Valley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 256.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Purchase Line struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 176.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for River Valley against Purchase Line in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, as the team secured a 34-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
