Two dominant backs in Max Mccool and Landon Mcclarney are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Castle Knights will head out to challenge the Evansville Reitz Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Castle sitting on three straight wins and Evansville Reitz on five.
Last Friday, Castle was able to grind out a solid victory over Vincennes Lincoln, taking the game 43-30.
Mccool was his usual excellent self, rushing for 210 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.2 rushing touchdowns per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Castle was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 251 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Evansville Reitz over Evansville Central in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Evansville Reitz blew Evansville Central out of the water with a 60-7 final score. The matchup marked the Panthers' most dominant win of the season so far.
Mcclarney continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 52 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Jasseim Ussery, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Evansville Reitz's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Nehemiah Madison and Colin Johnson.
Castle's record now sits at 4-1. As for Evansville Reitz, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Castle has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Evansville Reitz struggles in that department as they've been averaging 268.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Castle suffered a grim 38-17 defeat to Evansville Reitz in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Can Castle avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
