East Palestine won the last time they faced Bridgeport and things went their way on Friday too. East Palestine walked away with a 28-21 victory over Bridgeport. East Palestine's win was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Clark Rutledge
| 09/05/25 @ Bridgeport | 173 |
| 08/29/25 vs Windham | 106 |
| 09/27/24 vs Southern | 70 |
| 08/21/25 @ Shadyside | 56 |
| 10/18/24 vs Leetonia | 18 |
Leading East Palestine to victory were Clark Rutledge and Zach Schnelle. Rutledge rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, while Schnelle rushed for 104 yards and one TD. Those 173 rushing yards gave Rutledge a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: East Palestine was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 281 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
When it comes to explaining why Bridgeport lost, don't look at Jaki Threet. Despite the final result, he rushed for 202 yards and three scores on only 15 carries.
East Palestine's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Bridgeport, they dropped their record down to 1-2 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season.
East Palestine and Bridgeport will both get their first taste of in-conference action in their upcoming games. The Bulldogs are set to take on their familiar foe David Anderson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Bridgeport will square off against rival Catholic Central at 7:00 p.m. on the 13th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
