Two dominant backs in Jordan Duke and Dean Paris are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Classical Purple will head out on the road to take on the Johnston Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Johnston took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Classical, who comes in off a win.
Classical is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Ponaganset, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Classical was ranked 12th). Classical was the clear victor by a 45-24 margin over Ponaganset on Saturday. Classical's win was all the more impressive since the Chieftains were averaging only 14.43 points allowed on the season.
Duke and Parker Howley were among the main playmakers for Classical as the former gained 245 total yards and three touchdowns and the latter threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per attempt.
Another reason for the win was Classical's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Ponaganset's QB won't forget London Vincent anytime soon given he sacked him three times.
Meanwhile, Johnston scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They fell just short of Pilgrim by a score of 52-50.
Despite the defeat, Johnston had strong showings from Paris, who gained 233 total yards and three touchdowns, and Matt Clements, who threw for 196 yards and four touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Paris a new career-high in rushing yards (176). Ethan Placella also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Classical's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for Johnston, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Classical came up short against Johnston when the teams last played back in April of 2021, falling 42-35. Thankfully for Classical, Hunter Remington (who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
