No. 9 East Knox Bulldogs (6-4, 5-2) at No. 8 Martins Ferry Purple Riders (5-5, 0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday Purple Rider Stadium, 400 N 1st Street, Martins Ferry, OH
Enrollments: East Knox (415), Martins Ferry (416)
Coaches: East Knox- Andrew Beatty, Martins Ferry- Justin Kropka
Streaks: East Knox- 1 loss, Martins Ferry- 3 losses
At Stake: East Knox comes in with a higher record but a lower seeding against Martins Ferry. Bulldogs are set to show that this is a team that is better than their record shows, as two of their losses were of six points or less.
What to Watch: Look for East Knox to have a much stronger offensive performance this week, as last game they had a tough time getting things going due to the rain and tough Danville defensive unit in a 14-12 loss in overtime.
Jax Lester and Bracen Davis are a duo to watch. Lester has 1,157 yards passing with 13 touchdowns and eight picks. On defense he had four interceptions.
His favorite receiver has been Bracen Davis, who put together a spectacular senior campaign and was the one notable offensive performer last week. He caught seven passes for 104 yards and both touchdowns in the game. On defense he also had an interception, his second on the year. Davis ended up leading the KMAC with 43 catches and was second with 638 yards, while finding the end zone nine times. Coach Andy Beatty has stressed that his leadership and contributions on week in and week out basis have been vital to the team's success.
Also watch for Blake Elliott, who is one of the best athletes in KMAC and a force on offense and defense. Last week he couldn’t get much going with only 20 yards, but on the season he finished second in KMAC with 1,119 yards (Cole Delaughder of Danville edged him out with 1,121) to go with his 14 touchdowns, good for second. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry on the season, also second in KMAC by a percentage point. On defense he had 21 tackles last week and finished first with 134 tackles on the season.
Martins Ferry has been on a slide of late, losing the last three games of the regular season. They have been outscored 307-273 are are coming off a 41-14 lopsided loss to Bellaire.
Watch out for Ayden Ludolph at quarterback to be a weapon with the pass and run alike. Last week he had a touchdown run of 13 yards and a touchdown pass to Maurice Barnett.
Alex Reese is a wide receiver who could be a difference maker. Reese stands at 6-foot-6 making him a huge target for Ludolph. Tev’n Williams is at running back and has the tools to go off for a big play.
