Pike Valley is on a seven-game streak of home losses also dating back to last season, Thunder Ridge a four-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season, but someone's luck is about to change on Friday. The Pike Valley Panthers will welcome the Thunder Ridge Longhorns at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are at an even 3-3 against one another since September of 2014, but likely not for long.
Pike Valley is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Linn on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Pike Valley took a blow against Linn, falling 58-30.
Meanwhile, Thunder Ridge had to endure a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They were the clear victor by a 44-22 margin over St. John's/Tipton Catholic on Friday. The Longhorns' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Thunder Ridge can attribute much of their success to Evan Slavik, who picked up 107 receiving yards and a touchdown. Slavik didn't just play on offense: he also made six total tackles and defended two passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Thunder Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 322 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 56 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've averaged 202.7.
One reason for the win was Thunder Ridge's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Brayden Burge and Declan Tweedy, who racked up four sacks between them.
Pike Valley's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Thunder Ridge, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Pike Valley was taken down by Thunder Ridge 62-14 in their previous matchup back in September of 2021. Thankfully for Pike Valley, Dylan Bice (who rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
