The River Valley Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
It was a proper cat-fight when River Valley duked it out with Homer-Center on Friday. The Panthers blew past the Wildcats 31-3. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 28 points or more this season.
River Valley can attribute much of their success to Jake Woodring, who rushed for 73 yards and a pair of scores, and Brody Hutter, who rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries.
River Valley's run defense was locked in: Homer-Center could only muster 1.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Brady Koffman for the heroic effort on defense: he. River Valley didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.9.
River Valley's defense also made the game a nightmare for Carson Arone., racking up seven sacks. Michael Wano was especially locked on to Homer-Center's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] never let their opponents score on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 49-0 win over Conemaugh Valley. The matchup marked United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United]'s most dominant victory of the season so far.
River Valley better keep an eye on Dmitri Worthington. He was instrumental in United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United]'s win, throwing for 166 yards and five TDs on only 14 passes, while also rushing for 65 yards on only eight carries. That's the most passing yards Worthington has posted since back in September of 2024. Logan Lichtenfels was another key player, rushing for 70 yards and a pair of scores on only eight carries.
United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Shaydon Oleksa and Ethan Luko.
River Valley's record now sits at 4-1. As for United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United], they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. River Valley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 276 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] struggles in that department as they've been averaging 224 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
River Valley strolled past United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] in their previous meeting back in September of 2024 by a score of 17-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.