The Adena Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Zane Trace Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Adena has given up an average of 25.6 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Adena is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight games on Friday. They came up short against Huntington, falling 40-14. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since October 15, 2021, but that streak is no more.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Zane Trace). They really took it to Paint Valley for the full four quarters, racking up a 69-0 win. Considering the Pioneers have won six games by more than 26 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Adena better keep an eye on Brice Johnson. He was instrumental in Zane Trace's win, rushing for 104 yards and two TDs on only six carries. Johnson has become a key player for the Pioneers: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. Bryson Payne was in the mix as well, providing Zane Trace with two scores.
Zane Trace was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 321 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Zane Trace, racking up 15 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Grady Stewart, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Zane Trace is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.7 points on average over those games. As for Adena, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Adena might still be hurting after the 27-6 defeat they got from Zane Trace when the teams last played back in September of 2024. Thankfully for the Warriors, Silas Stewart (who rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
