Grove City hasn't had much luck against New Albany recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Grove City Greyhounds will head out to face off against the New Albany Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Grove City knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five matches -- so hopefully New Albany likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Grove City got the win against Hilliard Darby by a conclusive 42-16. Given the Greyhounds' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 46th, while the Panthers are ranked 241st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grove City can attribute much of their success to Ayden Mckinstry, who gained 156 total yards and four touchdowns, and Carson Welsh, who threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Mckinstry's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 109 rushing yards dating back to last season. 92 of those passing yards were hauled in by Owen Steele, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for New Albany, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hilliard Bradley on Friday, sneaking past 17-14. The victory was some much needed relief for the Eagles as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak dating back to last season.
New Albany was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted was before the start of last season.
Grove City pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for New Albany, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Grove City and New Albany were almost perfectly matched up in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, but Grove City suffered an agonizing 25-24 defeat. Thankfully for Grove City, Joseph Owusu-Ansah (who rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns) 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
