Washington is 0-10 against Martinsburg since October of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Patriots will face off against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Washington took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took down Southern 28-12. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Patriots' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 44th in West Virginia, while the Bulldogs are ranked 164th in Maryland).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Washington to victory, but perhaps none more so than Phillip Shields, who rushed for 102 yards and one TD on only 14 carries. Another player making a difference was Kyle Athey, who rushed for 30 yards and one score.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Washington proved: they limited Southern to a paltry -0.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Chase Perroots for the heroic effort on defense: he. Washington's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 5.03 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 4.87 on average over their last three games.
Washington didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Neil Powell.
Meanwhile, Martinsburg entered their tilt with Morgantown on Friday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 34-6 victory over the Mohigans. That's two games straight that the Bulldogs have won by exactly 28 points.
The win got Washington back to even at 3-3. As for Martinsburg, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
Washington was taken down by Martinsburg 44-7 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Patriots, Koi Fagan (who rushed for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 118 yards and two TDs) 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
