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Route 36 Trophy Game tonight: Chucks visit Raiders

Brookville quarterback Noah Peterson (2) and Braiden Davis (left) help lead his team into tonight's Route 36 Trophy Game against Punxsutawney. (Photo by Molly Zimmerman)
   
   

BROOKVILLE, Pa. — Surprisingly, it’s the first Thursday night football game of the season in District 9.

And it’s the last varsity football game — a JV game on Monday is the last football game — scheduled on the natural grass field at Brookville Area High School when the 4-4 Brookville Raiders host the 4-4 Punxsutawney Chucks tonight at 7 p.m.

It’s the Route 36 Trophy Game between the Jefferson County rivals separated by 20 miles via … Route 36 of course.

It’s a matchup of teams that run the ball. For the Chucks, it’s always been the running game led by Zeke Bennett and his 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. For the Raiders, injuries to the quarterback position have turned the Raiders into more of a running team and it’s Jackson Zimmerman and his 916 yards and seven TDs. He left last week’s win against Karns City with an injury.

            

However, both players might not be on the field with injuries. Their status for the game isn’t certain. So it could be down to the rest of the roster and how they match up.

Raiders senior quarterback Noah Peterson has led the short-pass offense. He’s completed 39 of 48 passes for the season and 34 of 40 of the past three games for 283 yards and three TDs and one interception. Brayden Kunselman is the Raiders’ top receiver (42-444, 5 TDs).

Bennett, who missed last week’s 41-0 win over Moniteau after getting injured in the Chucks’ 15-13 loss to Karns City two weeks ago, helped the Chucks average 211 yards rushing per game. 

Landon Martz (39-228, 1 TD) and Griffin White (31-235, 4 TDs) will get carries, especially if Bennett is out, while quarterback Seth Moore (52-for-94, 630 yards, 6 TDs, 1 Int.) runs the passing game with his top receivers Noah Weaver (20-296, 4 TDs) and Zach Presloid (17-185, 1 TD).

This is the 48th meeting between the Raiders and Chucks, who lead the all-time series 26-20-1. The Raiders have won 20 of 29 since the series revived in 1993.

                          
                       

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