After each having a week off, the Newton Rams and the Archer Tigers will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Saturday, Newton came up short against East St. Louis and fell 28-21. The Rams gained 140 more yards on the day, but it was the Flyers that made the best use of them.
Newton's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Zion Johnson, who rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.5 yards per carry, and Deron Benson, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 105 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Newton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 231 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East St. Louis only rushed for 123.
Meanwhile, Archer was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They came up short against Eastside, falling 36-14. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 121st, while the Eagles are ranked 25th).
Jordan Do put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 164 yards and a touchdown. 83 of those passing yards were hauled in by Colby Alexander, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Even if they lost, Archer's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Dontae Samuels with two. Another thorn in Eastside's side was Daitron Carter, who made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
This is the second loss in a row for Newton and nudges their season record down to 1-3. As for Archer, their record now sits at 0-4.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Newton has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 191.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Archer, though, as they've been averaging only 96.8. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Newton against Archer in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 as the squad secured a 47-14 victory. Will Newton repeat their success, or does Archer have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
