Roane County is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Ripley is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Roane County Raiders will host the Ripley Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Roane County's defense has only allowed 13 points per game this season, so Ripley's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Roane County is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of West Virginia's top teams: North Marion, who was ranked 24th in their home state at the time (Roane County was ranked 21st). Roane County walked away with a 14-6 win over North Marion on Friday. The 14-point effort marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
It was another big night for Lane Watson, who rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 67 yards. Roane County also got a significant boost from Clay Walker, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 82 yards.
Roane County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 300 rushing yards in nine consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Ripley beat Nicholas County 23-15 on Friday.
Ripley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Ethan Kay.
Roane County's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Ripley, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Roane County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 361.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ripley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 171.2. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Roane County against Ripley in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 42-6 victory. Does Roane County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ripley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
