Valley Head is 4-0 against Appalachian since October of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Valley Head Tigers will head out to face off against the Appalachian Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Both are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Valley Head took a loss when they played away from home on October 4th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed two weeks ago. They claimed a resounding 53-0 victory over Woodville at home. The Tigers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Valley Head's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cayson McElrath, who rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 53 receiving yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Tytan Blevins, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Valley Head was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 358 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 157 rushing yards in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Valley Head wouldn't let Woodville keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Valley Head can thank Layne Hawkins and Blevins for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Appalachian never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Woodville 42-0 on the road. The Eagles pushed the score to 35-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Panthers had no chance of recovering from.
It was another big night for Braden Gilliland, who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his tenth straight game with at least 101 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Valley Head's record now sits at 6-2. As for Appalachian, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Valley Head against Appalachian in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 37-8 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Valley Head 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
