Poly Prep Country Day has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Rye Country Day Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, Poly Prep Country Day rose to the challenge on Friday. They walked away with a 21-14 win over Riverdale Country. The victory was all the more spectacular given Poly Prep Country Day's disadvantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 181st, while Riverdale Country is ranked 49th).
Poly Prep Country Day had a senior duo take command as Marco Smith rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries and Trent Winston rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Winston really tore up the turf during one magnificent 76-yard run.
Meanwhile, Rye Country Day entered their tilt with Morristown-Beard with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Rye Country Day claimed a resounding 40-10 victory over Morristown-Beard at home. Rye Country Day pushed the score to 40-8 by the end of the third, a deficit Morristown-Beard cut but never quite recovered from.
Rye Country Day had a senior duo take command as Cole Denson rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry and Patrick Leonard rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Denson has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last four times he's played.
Poly Prep Country Day is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Rye Country Day, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Poly Prep Country Day has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 238.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Rye Country Day struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Poly Prep Country Day was able to grind out a solid victory over Rye Country Day in their previous matchup back in October, winning 14-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Poly Prep Country Day since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
