The West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Camp Point Central Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
It was a proper cat-fight when West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] faced off against Beardstown on Friday. The Cougars simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 46-13. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Ryker Ford was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 152 yards and three TDs on only nine carries, and also threw for 73 yards and one touchdown. His longest rush was for an impressive 63 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Tucker Arnold, who gained 98 total yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Camp Point Central). They breezed past North Greene to the tune of 70-8 on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won eight in a row.
West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] better focus on containing Curtis Rigg and Kale Niekamp as the pair were huge in Camp Point Central's win. Rigg gained 154 total yards and three touchdowns, while Niekamp threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes. Those three passing touchdowns gave Niekamp a new career-high. Grant Hamilton got in on the action too, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Camp Point Central, racking up 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Jackson Fowler, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Camp Point Central, their win bumped their record up to 9-0.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground. West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Camp Point Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 302.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
West Central co-op [Winchester-Bluffs] took a serious blow against Camp Point Central in their previous matchup back in August, falling 50-8. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Cougars were down 30-0.
