The Irvington Blue Knights will face off against the West Orange Mountaineers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (Irvington 6.5, West Orange 4.2) so any points scored will be well earned.
Irvington took a loss when they played away from home on April 10th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Thursday. They came out on top against Burlington City by a score of 26-13. The Blue Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, West Orange got the win against Millburn on Friday by a conclusive 26-6. The result was nothing new for the Mountaineers, who have now won three matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
West Orange found their leader in sophomore Elianna Denis, who threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns while completing 78.6% of her passes. Nola Duncan was Denis' top target, picking up 78 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
West Orange's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB seven times. In that department, Jacinya Garner was the leader with five sacks. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more sacks the last three times she's played.
Irvington's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 29.4 points over those games. As for West Orange, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-1-1.
Thursday's game might be decided in the trenches. Irvington has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 151 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for West Orange, though, as they've been averaging only 69.2 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Irvington against West Orange in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, as the team secured a 50-2 victory. Will the Blue Knights repeat their success, or do the Mountaineers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
