East and East Liverpool squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but East had to settle for second. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 41-40 to the East Liverpool Potters. It was the first time this season that the Tigers let down their fans at home.
When it comes to explaining why East lost, don't look at Aaron Britford. Despite the final result, he rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 13.2 yards per carry, and also threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, Britford is now averaging an impressive 110.5 rushing yards per game. East also got a significant boost from Ta'John Royster, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 99 yards.
Even though they lost, East was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 360 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Liverpool only rushed for 188.
East wouldn't let East Liverpool keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. East can thank Darion Matlock and Britford for forcing both of them.
It was another big night for Gavin Wright, who rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns for East Liverpool. Wright didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble and made 12 total tackles. Another player making a difference was Jaymin Haney, who rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown.
East's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-3. As for East Liverpool, the win (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 7-4.
East does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for East Liverpool, they will challenge West Holmes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. East Liverpool is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.3 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
