We will once again have two games on Prairieland Media Sports tonight, with United looking to break into the win column and Monmouth-Roseville looking to build off their first win of the season.
Starting with the United Red Storm, they fell to 0-3 last Friday after a wild 54-51 loss to Stark County. The Red Storm carried a 31-20 lead into halftime before the game turned into a shootout down the stretch.
The two teams combined for 46 points in the fourth quarter. Stark County took the lead with 31 seconds remaining before Carter Olson returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to put United back in front. The Rebels answered one final time, scoring as time expired to hand the Red Storm the three-point loss.
Despite the 0-3 start, Head Coach Andrew Goodwin says his team has continued to show they are capable of competing with anyone.
“We are not at our height whatsoever. We can reach new heights offensively. We can reach new heights defensively. We can reach new heights special teams-wise. This is a really good football team. They just have to continue to have the belief, and that was kind of the message all week. We had two words: determination and belief. We have to be determined to say, ‘Hey, when is it enough? When is it enough being the stepping stone to all these other teams?’ And them looking at us on the schedule and saying, ‘Oh, it’s United. It’s been a few years since they’ve been good, so we know what we’re walking into, and it should be an easy one.’ It’s not an easy one, and I think we’ve given the first three teams some tough outings.”
United will now hit the road to take on an Elmwood-Brimfield squad that enters at 2-1. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2009, when United picked up a 32-16 win.
The Monmouth-Roseville Titans will also be in action tonight as they look to build off their first win of the season.
The Titans picked up a 26-14 win over Mercer County last week to improve to 1-2. After giving up two early scores, Monmouth-Roseville settled in defensively and kept the Golden Eagles out of the end zone the rest of the night.
Now the attention turns to Princeton, who also enters tonight at 1-2. The Tigers have faced a tough early schedule with losses to Riverdale and Sterling Newman, while picking up a win over Mercer County.
Tonight also marks the first divisional game of the season for both teams, and Head Coach Jeremy Adolphson says it is a big one.
“Without a doubt. First game in the division. We talked to the kids even last week. We’re two-time defending Mississippi Division champions, and you get a big one right off the bat. It’s a lot easier winning when you’re 1-0 in the division than if you’re 0-1 in the division. So getting them at home is helpful. It’s a massive week. Neither team anticipated being 1-3. Neither team’s been 1-3 for a super, super long time. So it’s a big one for us, and it’s going to be a challenge.”
Both games are scheduled to kick off at 7 PM. United at Elmwood-Brimfield can be heard on WRAM AM 1330 and FM 95.7, while Monmouth-Roseville against Princeton can be heard on Sunny 97.7 WMOI. Both games will also be available online at radiomonmouth.com, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30.
