The Oblong Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the Martinsville Bluestreaks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Martinsville took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Oblong, who comes in off a win.
Oblong is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Illinois' top teams: Hutsonville/Palestine, who was ranked 25th at the time (Oblong was ranked 12th). The Panthers blew past the Tigers 54-16 on Friday. That looming 54-16 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.
Lucas Blessing
| 10/04/25 @ Pawnee/Lincolnwood | 272 |
| 10/10/25 vs Hutsonville/Palestine | 221 |
| 09/19/25 vs Dugger Union | 115 |
| 09/12/25 @ Milford/Cissna Park | 81 |
| 09/27/25 vs Unity Christian/Mt. Pulaski | 80 |
| + 2 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Oblong to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lucas Blessing, who rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.3 yards per carry. Blessing is becoming a predictor of the Panthers' success: when he posts at least 100 rushing yards the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Wyatt Snider was another key player, rushing for 154 yards and three TDs on only 11 carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Oblong was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 440 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Oblong didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Caden Goodwin and Snider.
Meanwhile, Martinsville played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Metro-East Lutheran, falling 70-40.
Oblong will have to contain Gabe Griffin as he made an impact in Martinsville's last game. He rushed for 156 yards and one score on only 14 carries, and also threw for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Oblong's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-4. As for Martinsville, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Oblong took a serious blow against Martinsville in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, falling 54-14. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Panthers were down 32-8.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
