The Lyndhurst Golden Bears will head out on the road to challenge the Park Ridge Owls at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lyndhurst's defense has only allowed 9.8 points per game this season, so Park Ridge's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Lyndhurst is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 52 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Glen Rock on Saturday. They took a 17-10 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Panthers. The contest marked the Golden Bears' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Lyndhurst's loss came about despite a quality game from Allen Frias, who rushed for 103 yards on only ten carries.
While Lyndhurst came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Glen Rock: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 47.1%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from one players: Matthew Jarvis, who each logged one passes deflected. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Lyndhurst; they were averaging 57.7%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three games they've fallen to only 57.7%.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Park Ridge and Hasbrouck Heights, and Hasbrouck Heights kept the tradition alive. The Owls lost to the Aviators on the road by a 29-15 margin on Saturday.
Despite the defeat, Park Ridge saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Patrick Randolph rushed for 64 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Lyndhurst's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-3. As for Park Ridge, they suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 4-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Lyndhurst has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 199.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Park Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Lyndhurst against Park Ridge in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 35-6 victory. In that game, the Golden Bears amassed a halftime lead of 28-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.