The Chester Cyclones will head out on the road to face off against the Chapman Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Chester walked away with it. They enjoyed a cozy 52-34 win over Powdersville on Friday.
Elijah Coleman was on fire: he rushed for 314 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 68 receiving yards. Trooper Floyd was another key contributor, throwing for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Chapman came tearing into Friday's match with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past Crescent 45-0 at home. The result was nothing new for Chapman, who have now won seven games by 23 points or more so far this season.
Chapman can attribute much of their success to Bennett Smith, who picked up 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Coleman Gray, who rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Chapman's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. Carson Seymour was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up five sacks himself.
Chester pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-10 Emerald and 1-9 Union County (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 31.4% over those games). As for Chapman, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Chester has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Chapman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 220.7 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Chester didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Chapman in their previous meeting back in November of 2021, but they still walked away with a 33-28 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Chapman's Derrick Miller, who rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Chester to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
