The Mountain Ridge Miners will face off against the Keyser Golden Tornado at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Mountain Ridge took a 20-point defeat the last time they faced off against Williamsport, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Miners skirted past the Wildcats 36-33. That's two games straight that the Miners have won by exactly three points.
Mountain Ridge found their leader in sophomore Sean Wade, who picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles.
Mountain Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 218 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 91.4 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matchups they've averaged 152.3.
Mountain Ridge didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Daniel Swindle and Jasper Crissman. Mountain Ridge got some further help from Wade: he picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Keyser, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They took their contest on Thursday with ease, bagging a 55-21 victory over Moorefield. The Golden Tornado might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 22 points or more this season.
Mountain Ridge better keep an eye on Addison Brafford. He was instrumental in Keyser's win, rushing for 91 yards and one TD on only five carries, while also throwing for 87 yards and three touchdowns on only seven passes.
Keyser's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points over those games. As for Mountain Ridge, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Everything came up roses for Mountain Ridge against Keyser in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 56-3 victory. In that matchup, the Miners amassed a halftime lead of 42-3, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
