Grafton is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Saturday. They are taking a road trip to challenge the Shrewsbury Colonials at 6:00 p.m. Grafton will be strutting in after a win while Shrewsbury will be coming in after a defeat.
While Grafton's victory against Tantasqua Regional wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Gators sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 20-17 win over the Warriors on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won six in a row.
Zeeland Youngblood went supernova, rushing for 256 yards and one touchdown while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making four total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defending one pass.
Youngblood was just one part of a punishing run game: Grafton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 315 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 35 points the game before, Shrewsbury was a bit more limited in their matchup on Friday. They came up short against St. John's, falling 31-10. The loss put an end to the Colonials' undefeated start to the season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Shrewsbury fell to 2-1. As for Grafton, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Everything came up roses for Grafton against Shrewsbury in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 46-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gators since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
