The Newport Buffaloes are taking a road trip to challenge the Juniata Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Newport is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Milton Hershey just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 26-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Spartans.
Meanwhile, Juniata entered their tilt with Susquenita on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They never let the Blackhawks get on the board and left with a 48-0 win. The matchup marked the Indians' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Newport better keep an eye on Jasper Shepps. He was instrumental in Juniata's win, picking up 118 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing for 33 yards and one TD. What's more, Shepps posted two receiving touchdowns, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. Ty Rowles also helped with two scores in total.
Juniata's run defense was locked in: Susquenita could only muster 2.3 yards per carry. While two picked up at least four total tackles, Shepps stood above the rest. He picked up 118 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 33 yards and one TD. Juniata's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 2.93 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 4.47 on average over their last five games.
Juniata's defense didn't let Rex Wilson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Christian Lopez, Conrad Long, and Jerry Cordova, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Juniata's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Newport, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 4-2.
Newport was taken down by Juniata 33-6 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Buffaloes, Javier Lopez (who rushed for 209 yards and three scores while picking up 9.5 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
