The Peru Tigers will square off against the Manchester Squires at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Peru: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home dating back to last season, while Manchester has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road also dating back to last season.
Last Friday, Peru came up short against Northwestern and fell 29-16. Peru was down 29-9 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Peru might have lost, but man, Isaiah Korba was a machine: he rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Korba was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 52 yards.
Even though they lost, Peru was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 290 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northwestern only rushed for 81.
Peru didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Brantlee Edwards, Lukas Ulery, and Trevi Hillman-Conley picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Manchester). They blew past Lewis Cass 49-28 on Friday. That's two games straight that the Squires have won by exactly 21 points.
Manchester's receiving core played a big role in the win, headlined by Reiss Gaerte and Eli Metzger. Gaerte rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on only five carries while Metzger picked up 76 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Manchester wouldn't let Lewis Cass keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. Manchester can thank Mason Rooney and Resto D'Andrea for forcing all of them.
Peru's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Manchester, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Peru has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 287.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Manchester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 200.5. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Peru against Manchester when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 52-6 victory. Does Peru have another victory up their sleeve, or will Manchester turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
