The Nitro Wildcats will take on the Wayne Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Nitro's defense has only allowed 15.2 points per game this season, so Wayne's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Nitro will bounce into Friday's match after beating Chapmanville Regional, who they hadn't topped in eight consecutive meetings. Nitro came out on top against Chapmanville Regional by a score of 34-21 on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their seven-point performance the matchup before.
Nitro's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Josh Moody led the charge by throwing for 266 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 31 yards. Malachi Thompson was Moody's top target, picking up 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Nitro's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Zaevyon Dickerson, Malik Brown, and Brown picked up one apiece. Dickerson also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight. Wyatt Sowards was another major factor on D, making 16 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Wayne won against Scott on September 6th with 26 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. Wayne walked away with a 26-14 win over Winfield. The Pioneers' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Jayden Wayman had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Wayman is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 106 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Ronnie Staley, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Wayne was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 305 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 204 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Nitro's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Wayne, their victory bumped their record up to 3-0.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Nitro has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 272.5 passing yards per game. Wayne, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 253.7 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Nitro was able to grind out a solid win over Wayne in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, winning 33-21. Will Nitro repeat their success, or does Wayne have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
