The Eastern Comets will be defending their home-field for the first time for the first time when they go up against the Northwestern Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Eastern is headed into their home opener looking to turn things around after opening their season on the road. They received a blow on Friday as they fell 30-15 to Oak Hill. The loss continues a trend for the Comets in their matchups with the Golden Eagles: they've now lost four in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Braylen Word, who picked up 88 receiving yards and a touchdown. Eastern also got a significant boost from Isaiah Pickett, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 88 yards.
Meanwhile, Northwestern had to endure a four-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They snuck past Manchester with a 19-14 win on Friday. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Tigers were the better team in the second half.
Northwestern had a senior duo take command as Brock Shank threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Groves picked up 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Groves' longest reception was for an incredible 73 yards.
Northwestern didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Sam Craig and Groves. Michael Arrick was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Everything came up roses for Eastern against Northwestern in their previous meeting back in August of 2023 as the team secured a 60-31 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Northwestern's Gabe Felix-Craig, who rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also picked up 75 receiving yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Eastern to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
