vs
| 10/25/24 - Away | 35-33 W |
| 10/27/23 - Home | 34-31 W |
| 10/28/22 - Away | 28-42 L |
| 10/29/21 - Home | 21-3 W |
| 08/31/18 - Away | 33-58 L |
| 09/02/17 - Home | 21-23 L |
St. Francis and McDowell are an even 3-3 against one another since September of 2017, but not for long. The Red Raiders will host the Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in St. Francis' favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five contests.
St. Francis is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They put the hurt on Bishop Timon-St. Jude with a sharp 59-35 victory on Friday. Things were looking grim for the Red Raiders in the first quarter (they were down by 20) but they stormed back to get the game.
St. Francis got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Tyrone Clark Jr. out in front who rushed for 120 yards and three scores on only 14 carries. Clark Jr. also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack, forcing two fumbles, and making five total tackles. Another player making a difference was Trent Buttles, who rushed for 94 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: St. Francis was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 323 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bishop Timon-St. Jude only rushed for 179.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 11 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Clark Jr., who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, McDowell came up short against Steubenville on Friday, falling 36-13. While losing is never fun, the Trojans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 133rd in Pennsylvania, while the Big Red are ranked 46th in Ohio).
St. Francis pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.3 points over those games. As for McDowell, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
St. Francis skirted past McDowell 35-33 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Do the Red Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
