vs
| 09/19/25 - Away | 49-12 W |
| 09/27/24 - Home | 21-44 L |
| 09/22/23 - Away | 7-42 L |
| 10/14/22 - Home | 0-45 L |
| 10/15/21 - Home | 14-63 L |
| + 4 more games |
East Palestine hadn't done well against Southern recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Bulldogs blew past the Indians 49-12. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won three matches by 33 points or more so far this season.
East Palestine's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Clark Rutledge led the charge by throwing for 147 yards and three TDs while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushing for 43 yards and one score. The dominant performance also gave Rutledge a new career-high in passer rating (155.2). Another back making a difference was Zach Schnelle, who gained 147 total yards and two touchdowns.
Special teams also played a big role in the game for East Palestine, adding 11 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Tanner Morrow, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was East Palestine's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Peyton Rutledge was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.
East Palestine's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. The road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.3 points on average over those games. As for Southern, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Coming up, East Palestine will host Wellsville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bulldogs will be up against the Tigers' rather soft defense (which has allowed 41.25 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Southern, they will head out to challenge Columbiana at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
