Clay Center has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Tigers faces off against the Concordia Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Clay Center and Concordia are at an even 4-4 against one another since October of 2014, but likely not for long.
Clay Center's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Rock Creek on Friday. They lost 21-0 to the Mustangs. Having soared to a lofty 42 points in the game before, the Tigers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Concordia came into Friday's matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against Chapman on Friday as Concordia made off with a 42-22 win. The Panthers' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last four games.
Concordia found their leader in underclassman Drake Blochlinger, who rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns, and also threw for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Those 152 rushing yards gave Blochlinger a new career-high.
One reason for the win was Concordia's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Tracer Murdock with 2.5. Another thorn in Chapman's side was Dane Cleveland, who picked up 0.5 sacks and made 21 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Concordia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Clay Center now has a losing record at 2-3. As for Concordia, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Everything came up roses for Clay Center against Concordia in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 53-0 win. Will Clay Center repeat their success, or does Concordia have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
