Crestwood has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will host the Hazleton Area Cougars at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Crestwood: 17.7, Hazleton Area: 14.2) so any points scored will be well earned.
Last Friday, Crestwood earned a 21-14 victory over Pittston.
Lincoln Bibla had a dynamite game for Crestwood, rushing for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Bibla is becoming a predictor of Crestwood's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 0-3 when he doesn't). Jake Jeckell handled things on the ground, rushing for 91 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Crestwood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hazleton Area had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They never let the Wolfpack onto the board and left with a 26-0 win. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Cougars had established a 20 point advantage.
Ashton Karlick had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Crestwood pushed their record up to 3-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Hazleton Area, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Crestwood has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 225.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hazleton Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 171.2. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Crestwood beat Hazleton Area 28-21 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Does Crestwood have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hazleton Area turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
