Tri-Valley is 2-8 against Williams Valley since November of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Tri-Valley Bulldogs are taking a road trip to face off against the Williams Valley Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Tri-Valley's defense has only allowed 12.5 points per game this season, so Williams Valley's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Tri-Valley is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Nativity BVM just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They came up short against the Green Wave, falling 34-13. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Bulldogs, who until this match were averaging 12.5 points allowed.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Cole Gemberling, who rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 60 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Williams Valley put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They snuck past Minersville with a 42-36 victory. Williams Valley's win was all the more impressive since the Battlin' Miners were averaging only 15.25 points allowed on the season.
Williams Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Fletcher Thompson out in front who rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, Thompson is now averaging an impressive 126 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Shomper, who rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Williams Valley's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Trevon Bair, Evan Achenbach, and Blazer Lords picked up one apiece. Bair is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 11 games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Williams Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 279 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Tri-Valley fell to 3-1. As for Williams Valley, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Tri-Valley has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 160.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Williams Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 219.8. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tri-Valley took a serious blow against Williams Valley in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, falling 49-14. Thankfully for Tri-Valley, Alex Achenbach (who rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.2 yards per carry, and also picked up 45 receiving yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
