Catholic Central has gone 3-0 against Carrick recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Catholic Central Crusaders and the Carrick Raiders are set to duel. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Carrick is facing Catholic Central at the wrong time: Catholic Central suffered their first home loss of the season on Saturday and they're likely out for redemption. They lost 47-26 to the Rockets. It was the first time this season that the Crusaders let down their fans at home.
Catholic Central might have lost, but man, Tommy Pergi was a machine: he rushed for 124 yards on only ten carries. Those 124 rushing yards gave Pergi a new career-high. Catholic Central also got a significant boost from Matthew Sprochi, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 109 yards.
Even if they lost, Catholic Central's defensive line still kept up the pressure with seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Peyton Rauch and Nate Irvin, who racked up six sacks between them. Rauch is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 13 games he's played dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Catholic Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Conotton Valley only rushed for 132.
Meanwhile, a win for Carrick just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were dealt a 49-12 defeat at the hands of Wheeling Central Catholic. The Raiders were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 42-12.
Despite the loss, Carrick got top-tier performance from Kejuan Johnson, who picked up 99 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Johnson got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 61 yards.
Catholic Central's defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-3. As for Carrick, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.
Saturday's game might be decided in the trenches. Catholic Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 217.4 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Carrick, though, as they've been averaging only 68.6. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Catholic Central against Carrick in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 30-0 victory. Will Catholic Central repeat their success, or does Carrick have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
