North Central has gone a perfect 4-0 against Gogebic [Johnston/Wakefield] recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Jets will venture away from home to take on the Miners at 6:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, North Central put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 60-42 victory over Ontonagon. The win continues a trend for the Jets in their matchups with the Gladiators: they've now won seven in a row.
Ben Stage
| 10/10/25 vs Ontonagon | 4 |
| 09/26/25 @ Wright | 3 |
| 09/12/25 @ Stephenson | 3 |
| 10/05/24 @ Lake Linden-Hubbell | 3 |
| 08/28/25 @ Munising | 2 |
Ben Stage had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 112 yards and one touchdown on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 70 yards and four TDs while completing 80% of his passes. Those four passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. North Central also got a significant boost from Pryar LaBonte, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 92 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: North Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 349 rushing yards. They are a perfect 4-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
North Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kaden Malone and Stage.
Meanwhile, Gogebic [Johnston/Wakefield] was fully in charge on Saturday, breezing past Lake Linden-Hubbell 42-12. Fans of the Miners have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Gogebic [Johnston/Wakefield]'s win came from a few key players North Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cory Aspinwall, who rushed for 112 yards and a pair of scores on only 14 carries. Jayden Verrett was another key player, rushing for 133 yards and one TD.
North Central's record is now 5-2. As for Gogebic [Johnston/Wakefield], their record now sits at 7-0.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Stage and Verrett. Stage just won't slow down this season and has thrown 15 touchdowns while averaging 120.1 passing yards per game. Verrett has been a dominant force too and has thrown 10 touchdowns (and and only 2 picks) while averaging 75.4 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for North Central against Gogebic [Johnston/Wakefield] in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 40-13 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Miners' Bode Lynott, who rushed for 74 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 123 yards and one TD. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Jets to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
