DANVILLE — The Blue Devils will have their hands full Friday night.
Danville will take a two-hour bus ride to Bascom to tangle with undefeated Hopewell-Loudon in a game between small-school heavyweights.
The Chieftains have won 16 straight regular season games dating to 2022. Hopewell-Loudon is a combined 44-7 since the 2020 season and reached the Division VII state semifinals in 2021.
Danville is 34-14 during the same stretch with a pair of regional runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023.
Here’s a look at this weeks marquee matchups:
Danville at Hopewell-Loudon
Aidan Burke rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown in Danville’s 24-14 win over Utica. Quarterback Jacob Hackman completed 8-of-15 passes for 68 yards and ran for 42 yards and a TD. Cyren Wallace added a TD run. Josh Byers made a team-high 14 tackles, while Hackman was in on 10 stops.
The Chieftains knocked off Pleasant 36-15 as Braylon Martinez ran for a pair of touchdowns. Jack Colatruglio returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown and threw an 81-yard TD pass to Jacoby Ellis. Will Nutter returned a fumble 55 yards for a TD.
Colonel Crawford at East Knox
The Eagles thumped Richmond Heights 48-0 last week and have outscored their two opponents by a combined score of 103-13. Against Richmond Heights, Roen Thew ran for a pair of touchdowns, while Lucas Foy caught a pair of TD passes from Peyton Baker. Baker completed 4-of-5 passes for 78 yards.
The Bulldogs rebounded from a Week 1 loss with a 25-12 win over Wynford. Rugged running back Blake Elliott has rumbled for 246 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries. Quarterback Jax Lester has completed 28-of-46 passes for 393 yards and two TDs. Dakota Cooper has been Lester’s most reliable target, catching 12 passes for 157 yards and a TD. Logan Clark has seven catches for 119 yards and a score. Defensively, Elliott leads the team with 34 tackles. Parker Kimball has 26 stops.
Utica at Fredericktown
Utica has been competitive in losses to Centerburg and Danville. Gavin Tussey scored a touchdown and added a two-point conversion run in last week’s 24-14 loss to Danville. Tussey had four catches for 65 yards, while Braxton Fisher caught five passes for 46 yards. Quarterback Hayden Piper threw for 213 yards.
The Freddies came up just short in last week’s 19-13 loss at Northridge. Quarterback Blake Sipes has rushed for 275 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries and completed 10-of-22 passes for 200 yards and three TDs. Gavin Toombs has a team-high four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Elijah Roush leads the defense with 17 tackles. Kamdyn Clutter has 16 stops.