Ward Melville is on a seven-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while William Floyd is on a six-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Ward Melville Patriots will welcome the William Floyd Colonials at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Ward Melville's defense has only allowed 8.8 points per game this season, so William Floyd's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Ward Melville is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They enjoyed a cozy 28-14 victory over Walt Whitman on Saturday. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while the Wildcats are ranked 299th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ward Melville's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Joey Karpowicz, who picked up 121 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Karpowicz torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 88 yards. Another back making a difference was Joey Benedetto, who rushed for 168 yards while picking up 8.8 yards per carry.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Ward Melville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, William Floyd was fully in charge on Saturday, breezing past Sachem East 48-20 on the road. The match marked the Colonials' most dominant win of the season so far.
It was another big night for Ja?Quan Thomas, who rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 147 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of A.J. Cannet, who rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns.
Ward Melville's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for William Floyd, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Ward Melville has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 169.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like William Floyd struggles in that department as they've been averaging 308.8. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ward Melville came up short against William Floyd when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 31-21. Thankfully for Ward Melville, Jaden Montalvo (who rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
