This Friday, round two of the Missouri State High School Varsity football playoffs will take place, and in the featured game, the Park Hills Central Rebels will be taking on the Potosi Trojans. The number one seeded Rebels had a bye last week, putting them in the driver’s seat for the second round. The Trojans, on the other hand, had to defeat the Fredericktown Black Cats to advance, which they managed to do by the score of 21-7.
The 8-1 Central squad hasn’t been challenged since week two, when the Rebels were narrowly defeated by MICDS. Since then, the team has gone on a 7-0 run and hasn’t looked back, winning their district, and securing the highest possible seed for the playoff bracket. The Trojans, however, have merely scraped by, coming in to the game with a 5-5 record.
Central’s offense has been unstoppable, averaging an incredible 56.6 points per game, while Potosi has only averaged 27.3. Defensively, the Rebels have also been stellar, only allowing 13.3 points per game, while Potosi has allowed 24.1
The Rebels are powerful on both sides of the ball, and are especially dominant at home. However, their only blemish did come on their home turf. This could bode well for Potosi, as the Trojan’s away record is 3-1.
There are four common opponents between these squads, which include Farmington, Fredericktown, Perryville and Ste. Genevieve. Central handled all four schools with relative ease, winning all four games, while Potosi went 2-2, defeating both Fredericktown and Perryville. However, the best comparison would be the head-to-head match up in the regular season which took place in week five. Central dominated the game, winning in blow out fashion, 63-7.
This matchup certainly favors Central on paper, especially coming off the bye week, and considering the past victory over Potosi this season. However, it’s one game, and in that small of a sample size, anything could happen. That game will in fact happen this coming Friday night, November 5th, at Central, with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.
Good luck Rebels!
