The Portage Mustangs will venture away from home to face off against the Cambria Heights Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Portage is no doubt hoping to put an end to a six-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Last Friday, Portage didn't have quite enough to beat Conemaugh Township and fell 16-14. The Mustangs gained 139 more yards on the day, but it was the Indians that made the best use of them.
Despite the loss, Portage had strong showings from Brendan Smithtro, who gained 133 total yards, and Bode Layo, who picked up 90 receiving yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance also gave Smithtro a new career-high in rushing yards. Issac Willinsky was in the mix too, providing Portage with a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Cambria Heights put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They walked away with a 21-14 victory over Northern Cambria.
Cambria Heights' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaxxon Kline led the charge by rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Portage now has a losing record at 2-3. As for Cambria Heights, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Portage has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cambria Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging 226.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Portage suffered a grim 24-0 defeat to Cambria Heights in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Kline, who rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Now that Portage knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
