The Mount Olive Marauders will face off against the Vernon Vikings at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Mount Olive's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
If Vernon heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Mount Olive took over last week. The Marauders were the clear victors by a 42-21 margin over Morris Knolls on Saturday. Fans of the Marauders have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Mount Olive's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Malcolm Gilyard led the charge by rushing for 87 yards and one touchdown on only six carries. Brayden Longo was another key back, rushing for 69 yards and a pair of scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mount Olive was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 206 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 206 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Mount Olive didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Liam Shelton led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. The game marked his first with multiple interceptions this season. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Vernon was able to grind out a solid victory over High Point on Friday, taking the game 35-28.
Mount Olive pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their offensive performance: the team's won by an average of 27 points thus far. As for Vernon, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 4-2.
Everything came up roses for Mount Olive against Vernon in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 28-0 win. Will the Marauders repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
