Monroe-Woodbury has been away from home for two games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will welcome the Pine Bush Bushmen at 6:00 p.m. Monroe-Woodbury's defense has only allowed 12.6 points per game this season, so Pine Bush's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Last Friday, Monroe-Woodbury didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Middletown, but they still walked away with a 16-12 victory. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Middie Bears are ranked 166th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nate Coulanges was his usual excellent self, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Monroe-Woodbury's defense and their three sacks. In that department, Kamal Salaudeen was the leader with two.
Meanwhile, Pine Bush had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They secured a 32-27 W over Kingston on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Bushmen considering their seven-point performance the match before.
Pine Bush's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jacob Brown, who rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. Luke Broadbelt also helped out as he racked up 116 rushing yards.
Pine Bush was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 318 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests.
Monroe-Woodbury pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Pine Bush, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Monroe-Woodbury has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 176.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pine Bush struggles in that department as they've been averaging 237. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Monroe-Woodbury against Pine Bush in their previous matchup back in October, as the team secured a 42-15 victory. Will Monroe-Woodbury repeat their success, or does Pine Bush have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
