Western is 1-8 against West Lafayette since September of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. That contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Matthew McKitrick and Kojo Steffey.
On Friday, Western came up short against Twin Lakes and fell 22-15.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last five times West Lafayette and Hamilton Heights have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. The Red Devils took down the Huskies 24-8. The victory was some much needed relief for the Red Devils as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
West Lafayette's win came from a few key players Western will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Martin Gazo, who rushed for 88 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. He was even better on defense, forcing one fumble and making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss). Another player making a difference was Blake Biddle, who threw for 117 yards and one TD.
West Lafayette's defense made their presence known, laying out Drew Woodruff six times. The heavy lifting was done by Cal Elias and Niko Karlaftis, who racked up four sacks between them. JJ Weida was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles.
West Lafayette's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-6. As for Western, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 6-3.
Western strolled past West Lafayette when the teams last played back in September by a score of 34-20. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Steffey, who rushed for 123 yards and a pair of scores, and also picked up 57 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Panthers still be able to contain Steffey? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
