Fresh off their impressive and dominating 19-0 victory over the North Side Legends last week, the East Noble Knights have another SAC foe to deal with, the Snider Panthers.
The Panthers are coming off a clash with Warsaw that was decided on the ground, with the Tigers earning a 33-30 win on a late touchdown.
We’ve got a phenomenal matchup between East Noble and Snider as our OTH Week 2 Game of the Week.
Let’s dive in.
WHAT’S ON THE LINE
For Snider, it’s about tradition, and how that tradition changes on Friday night. For the first time in program history, the Panthers will play on a home field of their own, Russ Isaacs Stadium. It’s been long overdue for this team to have their own home turf and now that is finally here, most of the city will be off Reed Rd. to watch history unfold.
Last season, the Panthers finished with the program’s worst win-loss record in its history. They looked better in Week 1 against Warsaw and could’ve won that game, but didn’t. If they lose to East Noble Friday night, they’ll be 0-2 with two losses to the same teams they lost to last season.
For the Knights, if they beat a potential sectional opponent in North Side in Week 1. To follow it up with another impressive victory over a prestigious Class 5A program like Snider and go into conference play 2-0, they’ll have all the confidence in the world.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Snider running back Braylon Burton had a huge Week 1 against Warsaw, finishing with 222 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. The offensive line did a fantastic job at providing Burton room to showcase his explosive abilities out of the backfield. He is definitely a player to watch for this week to see how he follows up that performance.
Since the Knights will likely be game planning to try and slow Burton down, this also gives Snider quarterback Max Johnson an opportunity to spread out the offense a bit. He also looked pretty good in Week 1, completing 15-of-25 passes for 223 yards and two touchdown passes. If he has success finding Ketron “Tank” Paschall and Keaton Robinson like he did last week, it could help the Panthers get on the board against a stingy East Noble defense.
Defensively, Jakari Cole and Denzel Barr led the way for the Panthers last week. Cole finished with seven total tackles, while Barr was able to nab an interception. They’ll need to continue this momentum into this week as East Noble’s got some solid playmakers on offense.
Speaking of the Knights, it’ll be interesting to see if they can slow down Snider’s rushing attack. Last week, the Knights shut down North Side’s offense while being led by the No. 8 player in the nation in the Class of 2029, Austin Phillips. The sophomore was all over the field defensively and finished with seven total tackles, including a tackle for a loss. Expect more of the same this week from the sophomore.
Tayden Getts was a name we wanted you to know coming into this season. After being snubbed from NE8 recognition last year, he came out against North Side and forced four QB hurries, recorded four tackles and a tackle for a loss. He is going to be active trying to get in the backfield trying to slow down Burton and force Johnson into mistakes.
Alex Phillips and Alex Scott are players that find ways to make plays for their team, whether it’s on offense or defense. Phillips had a big role on offense last week, leading the team in rushing with 73 yards and a touchdown. Scott, who is one of our top DBs and WRs in the area, came away with his first interception of the season and hopes to do some of the same this week.
It’ll be a historic night at Russ Isaacs Stadium, but ultimately, who comes out with the victory? These two teams have faced each other three times, with Snider leading the overall series 2-1 (45-28 Snider in 2023, 35-10 Snider in 2024, and 29-7 East Noble in 2025).
All great reasons to be our Week 2 Game of the Week.
BLITZ’S PICK
Check out who Blitz feel will win this game and others around the area!
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