The Northwest Jaguars will take on the Blair Blazers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Northwest is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Quince Orchard just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They lost to the Cougars on the road by a 35-16 margin. The Jaguars gained 123 more yards on the day, but it was the Cougars that made the best use of them.
Despite their loss, Northwest saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Isaiah Taylor, who rushed for 90 yards and one score on only 12 carries, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Vongprachanh-Nelson, who rushed for 67 yards on only six carries.
Meanwhile, Blair waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They walked away with a 21-12 win over the Screamin' Eagles.
Blair didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Benjamin Giblin.
The victory got Blair back to even at 4-4. As for Northwest, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 4-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Northwest has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Blair, though, as they've been averaging only 5 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Northwest came up short against Blair in their previous meeting back in September of 2016, falling 40-36. Can the Jaguars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
