Marlboro Central is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Port Jervis is on a five-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Marlboro Central Dukes will host the Port Jervis Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both have allowed few points on average, (Marlboro Central: 5.2, Port Jervis: 13.4) so any points scored will be well earned.
Marlboro Central's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 14-0 victory over Liberty. Given the Dukes' advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 227th, while the Indians are ranked 497th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Marlboro Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jayden Cutting, Chris DeNatale, and Daylon McKenzie picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Port Jervis took their contest at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 56-13 win over New Paltz. Fans of the Raiders have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Port Jervis' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dylan Fox led the charge by throwing for 129 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. Anthony Theodore was Fox's top target, rushing for 58 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a touchdown.
Marlboro Central's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Port Jervis, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-0.
Thursday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Marlboro Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Port Jervis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 256.4. It's looking like Thursday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Marlboro Central was dealt a bruising 37-7 defeat at the hands of Port Jervis when the teams last played back in November of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Fox, who rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per carry. Now that Marlboro Central knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
