Central is on a nine-game streak of home wins, while Richland is on a nine-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Central Dragons will take on the Richland Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Central beat Clearfield 27-21.
Central can attribute much of their success to Jack Dunn, who picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Eli Muthler, who threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Muthler hasn't dropped below three passing touchdowns for four straight games.
Meanwhile, Richland strolled past Chestnut Ridge with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 28-10.
Richland relied on the efforts of Dominick Shank, who rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown, and Evan Mccracken, who gained 117 total yards and two touchdowns.
Central's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Richland, their win also bumped their record up to an identical 9-0.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Central commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.1 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Richland struggles in that department as they've been even better at 5.2 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup.
Central came up short against Richland when the teams last played back in September of 2022, falling 35-28. Thankfully for Central, Sam Penna (who threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
