Two dominant backs in Bryce Gumby and Jonathon Shay are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Berks Catholic Saints will face off against the Annville-Cleona Dutchmen at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Berks Catholic knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past three matchups -- so hopefully Annville-Cleona likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Berks Catholic at home against Hamburg as the squad secured a 48-14 victory. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-7.
Among those leading the charge was Gavin Welker, who picked up 66 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Berks Catholic also got a significant boost from Nathaniel Rose, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 87 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Berks Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 195 rushing yards in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, a win for Annville-Cleona just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They lost 49-28 to Schuylkill Valley. The Dutchmen were down 35-7 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Annville-Cleona might have lost, but man, Shay was a machine: he rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 35 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Berks Catholic now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Annville-Cleona, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Berks Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 234.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Annville-Cleona struggles in that department as they've been averaging 275.1. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Berks Catholic against Annville-Cleona in their previous meeting back in November of 2015, as the squad secured a 61-14 victory. In that contest, Berks Catholic amassed a halftime lead of 48-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
