Two dominant backs in Charlie Branning and Jodell Wimberly are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Liberty Christian Patriots will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Neah Bay Red Devils. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two weeks ago, Liberty Christian blew past Tekoa-Rosalia, posting a 92-6 victory on the road. Given Liberty Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Washington football rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Tekoa-Rosalia is ranked 49th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Branning was his usual excellent self, rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. Branning is absolutely dominating the rushing touchdown category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the field this season. Dax Mercure was another key contributor, rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Liberty Christian's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Ryan Powell was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Neah Bay had no problem doing just that on Friday. They claimed a resounding 86-6 win over Winlock at home. The victory was nothing new for Neah Bay as they're now sitting on eight straight.
It was another big night for Wimberly, who rushed for 289 yards and eight touchdowns on only 13 carries. Wimberly is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last eight games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Swan, who rushed for 107 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries.
Liberty Christian has yet to lose a contest on the road this season, leaving them with a 9-0 record. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 56 points. As for Neah Bay, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's game: Liberty Christian has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 311.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Neah Bay struggles in that department as they've been even better at 321.7 per game. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Liberty Christian took a serious blow against Neah Bay in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, falling 82-24. Thankfully for Liberty Christian, Julian Carrick (who rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per carry) 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.
