Mountain Ridge has enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Perryville Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mountain Ridge extended their postseason success on Friday against Catoctin. They put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 37-17 win. Given Mountain Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland football rankings (they are ranked 22nd, while Catoctin is ranked 97th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Will Patterson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 145 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also throwing for 184 yards and a touchdown while completing 80% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Austin Frost, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Perryville entered their tilt with Lake Clifton with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Perryville beat Lake Clifton on Friday by the very same score they won with last week: 38-0. Perryville's victory was all the more impressive since Lake Clifton was averaging only 17.17 points allowed on the season.
Mountain Ridge's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 34.9 points per game. As for Perryville, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.
Everything came up roses for Mountain Ridge against Perryville in their previous matchup back in November of 2021 as the team secured a 63-14 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mountain Ridge since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
