Wellington has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Andover Central Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wellington is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 45.2 points per game this season.
Wellington is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Kapaun Mt. Carmel 20-19.
It was another big night for Dusty Bannister, who threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He has been hot , having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last five times he's played. Skyler Branam was Bannister's top target, picking up 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Andover Central came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Vikings 35-7. The result was nothing new for the Jaguars, who have now won seven contests by 24 points or more so far this season.
Maddox Archibald was his usual excellent self, rushing for 227 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.5 yards per carry, and also picking up 30 receiving yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Andover Central also got help from Jace Adler, who showed off his sure hands for 99 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Andover Central's defense and their three sacks. Leading the way was Gaige Hurley with two. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight.
Andover Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Wellington's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 14.8 points per game. As for Andover Central, their record is now 9-1.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Wellington has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 313 passing yards per game. Andover Central, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 172.8 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Wellington was taken down by Andover Central 48-0 in their previous matchup back in October of 2021. Thankfully for Wellington, Kai Kunz (who threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes, and also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
