Manchester Memorial is 0-3 against Salem since October of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Crusaders will face off against the Blue Devils. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Manchester Memorial sitting on three straight victories and Salem on five.
Manchester Memorial is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Hampshire's top teams: Exeter, who was ranked 22nd at the time (Manchester Memorial was ranked tenth). The Crusaders walked away with a 28-21 win over the Blue Hawks last Friday. 28 seems to be a good number for the Crusaders as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Jacob Schuff was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 238 yards and two TDs on only 13 carries.
Schuff was just one part of a punishing run game: Manchester Memorial was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 269 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Exeter only rushed for one.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Salem had no problem doing just that on Friday. They came out on top against Portsmouth/Oyster River by a score of 35-28. 35 seems to be a good number for the Blue Devils as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
Manchester Memorial's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Salem, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.
Manchester Memorial took a serious blow against Salem in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 45-7. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
