The Van Wert Cougars will take on the Elida Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Van Wert has three straight victories, Elida has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
It was a proper cat-fight when Van Wert challenged Kenton on Friday. Van Wert slipped by Kenton 45-44.
Briston Wise was his usual excellent self, rushing for 140 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his ninth straight game with at least 106 rushing yards dating back to last season. Xavier Kelly was Wise's top target, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, while also picking up 55 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Van Wert wouldn't let Kenton keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Aaron Reichert was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 13.
Meanwhile, a win for Elida just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They lost 52-31 to Memorial. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 369th, while the Roughriders are ranked 80th).
Van Wert's victory bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Elida, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.
Van Wert took their win against Elida in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 35-14. Will Van Wert repeat their success, or does Elida have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
