The Pickerington North Panthers will take on the New Albany Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Pickerington North is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
Last Friday, Pickerington North got the win against Grove City by a conclusive 28-7. Considering the Panthers have won four contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Pickerington North can attribute much of their success to Preston Bowman, who picked up 165 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Michael Taylor, who rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Bowman showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 66 yards. Another player making a difference was Jarin Mock, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Pickerington North didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Malachi Taylor and Ryan Miller. Taylor is also on a roll when it comes to interceptions, as he's now snagged at least one in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Grove City's side was Daunte Curtis, who picked up two sacks and made nine total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for New Albany, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Central Crossing 44-7 at home. That looming 44-7 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.
Ashton Allen was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, and also picked up 31 receiving yards and a touchdown. Those 147 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Backing up that air attack was Will Olah, who rushed for 89 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Pickerington North's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1. As for New Albany, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 3-5 record this season.
Pickerington North didn't have too much breathing room in their match against New Albany in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, but they still walked away with a 21-17 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pickerington North since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
