The West Ottawa Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Rockford Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West Ottawa comes in on three and Rockford on nine.
Last Friday, West Ottawa was able to grind out a solid win over East Kentwood, taking the game 34-22.
It was another big night for Kayden Forbes, who rushed for 269 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Forbes is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Connor Knapp, who threw for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Rockford stacked a ninth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They didn't even let Hudsonville onto the board and left with a 48-0 win. Given Rockford's advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan football rankings (they are ranked first, while Hudsonville is ranked 70th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Among those leading the charge was Drake Irwin, who threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns.
Their wins bumped West Ottawa to 4-5 and Rockford to 9-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: West Ottawa has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 211.9 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Rockford, though, as they've been averaging only 36.8 per game. How will Rockford fare against such a dominant running game?
West Ottawa took a serious blow against Rockford when the teams last played back in September, falling 39-12. Can West Ottawa avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
