West Lafayette has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on The Rensselaer Central Bombers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, West Lafayette was fully in charge, breezing past River Forest 42-13 at home. Given West Lafayette's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 83rd, while River Forest is ranked 225th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Lafayette relied on the efforts of Carson Kitchel, who threw for 168 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes, and Dawson Martin, who rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Martin is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Benny Speaker was in the mix too, providing West Lafayette with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Rensselaer Central entered their tilt with Griffith with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Rensselaer Central really took it to Griffith for the full four quarters, racking up a 42-13 win on the road. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Rensselaer Central just coasted through the last quarter.
Diego Hernandez-Reyes was his usual excellent self, rushing for 163 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a touchdown. Hernandez-Reyes definitely has the trust of the coaching staff as he's now carried the ball at least 25 times in the last seven games he's played. Carter Ogborn was another key contributor, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Their wins bumped West Lafayette to 7-3 and Rensselaer Central to 6-4.
Everything came up roses for West Lafayette against Rensselaer Central in their previous matchup back in September as the team secured a 40-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for West Lafayette since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.