The Ward Melville Patriots will take on Sachem North at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Ward Melville had no problem doing just that on Friday. They snuck past Lindenhurst with a 14-10 win. Given Ward Melville's advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 101st, while Lindenhurst is ranked 203rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ethan Burgos was his usual excellent self, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Sachem North had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They claimed a resounding 42-10 victory over Walt Whitman at home.
Ward Melville has yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 7-2 record. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.7 points per game. As for Sachem North, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
Ward Melville took their victory against Sachem North in their previous meeting back in September by a conclusive 29-7. Does Ward Melville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sachem North turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
