The Northwestern Tigers will take on the Benton Central Bison at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Northwestern has three straight wins, Benton Central has ten straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Northwestern took their match at home with ease, bagging a 49-14 victory over Northfield. That 35 point margin sets a new team best for the Tigers this season.
It was another big night for Brock Shank, who threw for 378 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 15.8 yards per attempt. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Hayden Cook was Shank's top target, picking up 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Benton Central's offense. They were outmatched by Tipton on the road and fell 52-0.
Northwestern pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Benton Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.
Northwestern came out on top in a nail-biter against Benton Central in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, sneaking past 50-48. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Benton Central's Joe Widmer, who threw for 442 yards and five touchdowns while completing 71.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Northwestern to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
