Two dominant backs in Cameron Jordan and Davion Terry are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Merrillville Pirates and the Hammond Central Wolves will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Merrillville will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Merrillville and Chesterton met for a duel last Friday where Merrillville came out on top. Merrillville snuck past Chesterton with a 29-23 win.
Merrillville found their leader in sophomore Jordan, who rushed for 133 yards and four touchdowns. Merrillville also got help from Rynell Lewis, who showed off his sure hands for 102 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, a victory for Hammond Central just wasn't in the cards last Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They came up short against Hanover Central, falling 48-26. While losing is never fun, the Wolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 216th, while the Wildcats are ranked 94th).
Despite the loss, Hammond Central got top-tier performance from Terry, who rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.1 yards per carry, and also threw for two yards and a touchdown. Terry showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 68 yards. Another player making a difference was Travon McCullough, who gained 159 total yards and two touchdowns.
Even though they lost, Hammond Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 298 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
Merrillville pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Hammond Central, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Merrillville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 198.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hammond Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 262.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Merrillville against Hammond Central in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, as the squad secured a 52-8 victory. In that game, Merrillville amassed a halftime lead of 38-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
