Andover and Elk River are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2017, but not for long. The Andover Huskies will head out to take on the Elk River Elks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Andover is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Last Friday, Andover humbled Cambridge-Isanti with a 43-8 victory. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 43-0.
Joseph Mapson was a one-man wrecking crew for Andover as he threw for 108 yards and two touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes, and also rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Myers, who rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Andover was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 207 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Andover wouldn't let Cambridge-Isanti keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Andover can thank Tristen Chenoweth and Logan Kell for forcing all of them.
Meanwhile, Elk River put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by St. Francis on the road to the tune of 51-14. Given the Elks' advantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota football rankings (they are ranked third, while the Fighting Saints are ranked 110th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Elk River's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Levi Harris, who rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and Carsyn Kleffman, who rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries.
Andover now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Elk River, their record is now 3-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Andover has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 187 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elk River struggles in that department as they've been averaging 465.3. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Andover against Elk River when the teams last played back in November of 2023 as the team secured a 65-32 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Andover since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
