The Middletown North Lions will take on the Matawan Regional Huskies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Middletown North has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Matawan Regional will arrive with three straight victories.
Last Friday, Middletown North didn't have quite enough to beat Central Regional and fell 20-17. Despite 78 more yards than the Golden Eagles, the Lions couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Despite the defeat, Middletown North got top-tier performance from Matthew Belenko, who rushed for 134 yards and one TD. Belenko showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 66 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Matawan Regional). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Long Branch 42-0. Given the Huskies' advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 121st, while the Green Wave are ranked 247th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Matawan Regional didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Welman Crooms and Alan Sparks.
Matawan Regional's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Middletown North, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Middletown North has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Matawan Regional struggles in that department as they've been averaging 201.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Middletown North strolled past Matawan Regional in their previous meeting back in September of 2024 by a score of 14-0. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Huskies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
