The Wayne Pioneers will head out to challenge the Nitro Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wayne is coming into the match hot, having won their last three games.
If Wayne beats Nitro with 26 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Wayne came out on top against Winfield by a score of 26-14 on Friday.
Jayden Wayman had a dynamite game for Wayne, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Wayman is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 106 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Ronnie Staley, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Wayne was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 305 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 204 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Nitro hadn't done well against Chapmanville Regional recently (they were 0-8 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Nitro walked away with a 34-21 win over Chapmanville Regional. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their seven-point performance the game before.
Nitro's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Josh Moody, who threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 31 yards. Malachi Thompson was in the mix too, providing Nitro with two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Nitro's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Tucker Emswiler was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up twohimself. Nitro got some further help from Wyatt Sowards: he made 16 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Wayne's record is now 3-0. As for Nitro, their record now sits at 3-1.
The upcoming match will be a clash of competing strengths. Wayne has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 253.7 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Nitro has preferred to attack from the air: they average 272.5 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Wayne came up short against Nitro when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 33-21. Can Wayne avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
