The Kenesaw Blue Devils will head out on the road to square off against the Axtell Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Axtell took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Kenesaw, who comes in off a win.
Kenesaw is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Franklin 70-34 on the road on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Maddox Wagoner and he. Wagoner rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry while he rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Adam Denkert is now averaging an impressive 126 rushing yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Kenesaw was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 516 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Kenesaw's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Wagoner. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Axtell was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat dating back to last season. The match between them and Wilcox-Hildreth wasn't particularly close, with Axtell falling 58-44. That's two games in a row now that the Wildcats have lost by exactly 14 points.
Despite the loss, Axtell had strong showings from Elijah Bergstrom, who gained 247 total yards and three touchdowns, and Jacob Halvorsen, who gained 248 total yards and two touchdowns. Bergstrom was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 54 yards.
Kenesaw's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Axtell, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Kenesaw has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 269 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Axtell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 248.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Kenesaw came up short against Axtell in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, falling 12-8. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bergstrom, who rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Now that Kenesaw knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
