The Centralia Orphans will head out on the road to face off against the Cahokia Comanches at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Centralia sitting on three straight victories and Cahokia on four.
Centralia is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Marion 55-28 on Friday. The Orphans pushed the score to 55-20 by the end of the third, a deficit the Wildcats cut but never quite recovered from.
Meanwhile, Cahokia made easy work of Mt. Vernon on Friday and carried off a 42-18 win. Given the Comanches' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Rams are ranked 272nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Centralia better keep an eye on Nigel Gooden. He was instrumental in Cahokia's win, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes, while also rushing for 38 yards and one score. They also got a significant boost from Machai Henderson, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 86 yards.
Cahokia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 237 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 191 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Cahokia's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Malik Mazyun, Machail Henderson, and Zehki McCuller, who each picked up one sack apiece. Cahokia received some extra help from Antonio Morris, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Centralia's record now sits at 5-1. As for Cahokia, their record is now an identical 5-1.
Centralia came up short against Cahokia when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 28-17. Can the Orphans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
