The Martins Ferry Purple Riders will venture away from home to take on the Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Martins Ferry's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last four contests.
Martins Ferry's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed past Cambridge to the tune of 36-0. The result was nothing new for the Purple Riders, who have now won four matchups by 29 points or more so far this season.
Meanwhile, Wheeling Central Catholic played a tough contest last Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 43-14 defeat at the hands of Barnesville. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Maroon Knights came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 23rd in West Virginia, while the Shamrocks are ranked 97th in Ohio).
Martins Ferry will need to focus on slowing down Kade Koroneos, one of several Wheeling Central Catholic players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 145 yards and one score on only 15 carries, and also picked up 49 receiving yards. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 75 yards. Nico Kusic was another key player, rushing for 49 yards and one TD.
Martins Ferry's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.7 points over those games. As for Wheeling Central Catholic, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-2.
Martins Ferry came up short against Wheeling Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 22-16. Thankfully for the Purple Riders, Braden Mcwreath (who rushed for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
