Two dominant backs in Levi Murray and Demetrio Lopez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Wheeler Bearcats will head out on the road to take on the Whiting Oilers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Wheeler has six straight wins, Whiting has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Wheeler didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Calumet New Tech, but they still walked away with a 21-16 victory. The 21-point effort marked the Bearcats' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Murray and Bryce Brandon. Murray had a great game and rushed for 238 yards and three scores while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Brandon did his best for the losing side, rushing for 122 yards and one TD.
Meanwhile, Whiting came up short against Boone Grove on Friday and fell 28-20.
Despite the loss, Whiting saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Alexander Vazquez threw for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Whiting's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Wheeler, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Wheeler has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 232.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Whiting struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 191.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Wheeler against Whiting in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 49-6 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Oilers' Austin White, who rushed for 130 yards, and also threw for 85 yards and one TD. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Bearcats to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
