The Italy Gladiators will head out on the road to face off against the Cayuga Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
After a string of four wins, Italy's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 36-30 hit to the loss column at the hands of Axtell.
The losing side was boosted by Gared Wood, who rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per carry, and also threw for 96 yards and a touchdown. Wood's longest rush was for an incredible 70 yards.
Meanwhile, Cayuga had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past Itasca 68-12 at home. The result was nothing new for Cayuga, who have now won four contests by 20 points or more so far this season.
Cayuga's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Shiloh Peckham, who rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. Peckham is on a roll when it comes to solo tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last three games he's played. Jakobe Brown was another key contributor, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
Cayuga's win bumped their season record to 5-3 while Italy's defeat dropped theirs to 4-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Italy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 186.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cayuga struggles in that department as they've been even better at 329.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Italy took a serious blow against Cayuga in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, falling 28-0. Can Italy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
