The Nitro Wildcats will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Ripley Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Nitro's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed past Riverside to the tune of 41-0. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 38 points or more this season.
CHRIS RADCLIFFE
| 09/19/25 @ Riverside | 131 |
| 09/12/25 @ Herbert Hoover | 116 |
| 08/29/25 @ Hedgesville | 83 |
CHRIS RADCLIFFE had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 110 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was MALACHI THOMPSON, who picked up 88 receiving yards and one TD.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Nitro proved: they limited Riverside to a paltry -0.1 yards per carry. The team can thank XAVIER PATTERSON for the heroic effort on defense: he. That's the most yards per carry they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Nitro's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. Riverside's QB won't forget PATTERSON anytime soon given he sacked him 2.5 times. Another thorn in the Warriors' side was COHEN LUSHER, who forced one fumble and made nine total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Ripley entered their tilt with Point Pleasant on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They strolled past the Big Blacks with points to spare, taking the game 42-23.
Ripley's win came from a few key players Nitro will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Parker Keller, who picked up 99 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and also rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown on only six carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 56 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Cody Lawrence was another key player, gaining 212 total yards and three touchdowns.
Ripley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kyler Fisher and Caleb Parsons. Eli Huffman was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making five total tackles.
Nitro's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Ripley, their win bumped their record up to an identical 3-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Nitro has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 147.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ripley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 233.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Nitro against Ripley in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 43-6 victory. In that game, the Wildcats amassed a halftime lead of 30-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
