New Albany is 4-0 against Grove City since September of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The New Albany Eagles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Grove City Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 916 yards in their previous games.
Having struggled with five losses in a row dating back to last season, New Albany finally turned things around against Hilliard Bradley on Friday. They had just enough and edged the Jaguars out 17-14.
The critical scores for New Albany came from Grant Nelson and Will Olah. Jack Morgan also made an appearance on special teams (luckily for New Albany): his a 47-yard strike wound up winning them the game.
New Albany was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Grove City put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Hilliard Darby with a sharp 42-16 victory. The result was nothing new for the Greyhounds, who have now won four matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Grove City relied on the efforts of Ayden Mckinstry, who gained 156 total yards and four touchdowns, and Carson Welsh, who threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Mckinstry's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 109 rushing yards dating back to last season. Owen Steele was Welsh's top target, picking up 92 receiving yards and a touchdown.
New Albany's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Grove City, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. New Albany has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 227.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Grove City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 171. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
New Albany barely slipped by Grove City when the teams last played back in September of 2023, winning 25-24. Does New Albany have another victory up their sleeve, or will Grove City turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
