Pendleton Heights hasn't had much luck against New Palestine recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Pendleton Heights Arabians will host the New Palestine Dragons at 7:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Pendleton Heights lost to Greenfield-Central on the road by a 28-14 margin.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Keaton Jones, who rushed for 139 yards while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 60 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Derolf, who picked up 30 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask New Palestine). They blew past Mt. Vernon 56-8 on the road on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Dragons, who have now won three contests by 21 points or more so far this season.
Josh Ranes was his usual excellent self, rushing for 119 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.2 rushing touchdowns per game. Another player making a difference was Austin McMahan, who picked up 93 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Pendleton Heights' loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for New Palestine, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-0-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Pendleton Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 225 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like New Palestine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 173. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Pendleton Heights suffered a grim 34-14 defeat to New Palestine when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Pendleton Heights, Grayson Thomas (who rushed for 192 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
