The Hanover Central Wildcats will head out to challenge the Kankakee Valley Kougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hanover Central's defense has only allowed 17.5 points per game this season, so Kankakee Valley's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Last Friday, Hanover Central humbled Lowell with a 48-21 victory. With the Wildcats ahead 35-14 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Hanover Central's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Caiden Verrett, who rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 41 receiving yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, Verrett is now averaging an impressive 105.8 rushing yards per game. Another signal caller making a difference was Tommy Bonner, who threw for 296 yards and six touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Kankakee Valley lost to Hobart on the road by a 41-23 margin on Friday. The Kougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The losing side was boosted by Diego Arroyo, who rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 163 yards and a touchdown. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August of 2023. Kankakee Valley also got a significant boost from Marco Castro, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 105 yards.
The win made it two in a row for Hanover Central and bumps their season record up to 3-1. As for Kankakee Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Hanover Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 225. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Hanover Central against Kankakee Valley in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 47-7 victory. In that game, Hanover Central amassed a halftime lead of 28-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
