Rockets, Tigers bring strong offenses into showdown

NORTH BALTIMORE – Most of the time, the team that has possession of the football for longer wins the game. On Friday, however, it may be the opposite. The 8-3 Pandora-Gilboa Rockets will travel to North Baltimore on Friday night, to take on the undefeated Tigers, who coming off a bye week, in what figures to be an offensive showdown. The Rockets and the Tigers have both earned their records through quick scores and dynamic downfield plays, more often than not going up double digits early and cruising to a big win. Both teams have had impressive offensive outputs thus far, led by very similar rosters. P-G and North Baltimore are each led by a quarterback with a very strong arm, and a very strong pocket presence. Pandora-Gilboa senior QB Cory Gerten has completed 68-percent of his passes, throwing 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Gerten has nearly 2000 passing yards on 147 completions. Junior Luke Long, the Tigers' signal-caller, has over 2500 passing yards and 32 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions thrown. While both teams have a deep receiver corps, there's one name at the top of the depth chart on both rosters that stands out. P-G senior Chase Meyer, a five-foot-eight, 155-pound speedster, has spent the last two seasons as a dynamic BVC All-League team selection. This year, Meyer has racked up 933 yards and seven touchdowns on 66 catches, good enough for second place on the conference leaderboard. Meyer's ability to get open downfield for long-distance Gerten throws has been a weapon for the Rockets., On an opposing team's scouting report against the Tigers, one name comes up first: senior wideout Cooper Clark. Clark has 21 receiving touchdowns, tallying 1400 yards on 65 receptions. Clark has two or more touchdowns in seven of the Tigers' 10 games and has three games with three or more scores. Clark caught two touchdowns and ran for two more out of the backfield in Week 10, showcasing his diverse skillset. While P-G's Meyer has been a force through the air, Clark gets his yards after the catch, able to either beat defenders or juke them on his way to a lengthy TD score. Both teams also feature strong athletes in the backfield. For the Rockets, that is senior power back Ben Burkholder. Burkholder finished the 2025 campaign with 647 yards, 115 carries, and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers were good enough for Burkholder to place seventh in the BVC in rushing yards, despite appearing in just seven games. His ability to fight through first contact and force a first down for the Rockets has been huge in them turning three-and-outs into scoring possessions. NB's running back is senior Brody Walter. Walter recorded nearly 1300 rushing yards on the year, carrying the ball 139 times and scoring 17 TDs. Walter is a multi-faceted back, able to be a power rusher, a speed back, and a receiving back as well (193 rec. yards, 3 TDs). With both teams having a "big three," it very well may come down to which team has better depth on offense.For Pandora-Gilboa, that means players like Landen Moore (395 rush yards, 67 carries, 5 TDs), Zahnder Boggs (436 rec. yards, 30 receptions, 4 TDs), and Jace Fenbert (287 rec. yards, 24 receptions, TD). The Rockets' offensive line features All-BVC first-team Landon Siefker, along with second-teamer Alex Rutschilling, and third-team selection Caleb Doty.North Baltimore's other impactful skill players include Zander South, with 602 total yards between RB and WR, and Isaiah Hyden, who has 264 receiving yards. On the offensive line, the Tigers boast four All-NWCC selections in center Leland Rader, guards Eli Mockensturm and Gavin South, and tackle Drew Meggitt. If both offenses are firing on all cylinders, the game may turn out to be a battle for defensive supremacy, another area both teams have excelled in. The Rockets allowed just 15 points per game this season, holding six of their 10 opponents under 10 points. The Rockets notched 10 interceptions, while also finishing second-place in the BVC in rushing yards allowed with just 942. P-G had six players named to an All-BVC defensive team: Gerten and Meyer at LB, Moore and Fenbert at DB, and Rutschilling and Siefker at DL. The Tiger defense has held half of its opponents to single-digit scoring, allowing just 12.9 points per game. Clark and Hyden are both all-league defensive backs, while defensive linemen Mockensturm and Meggitt, along with linebacker Emmit Heldberg, were all named to an All-NWCC team as well. Friday's contest is sure to be an exciting one, with both teams coming in hot. While the Tigers are on a 10-game streak, they had a week to potentially cool off or rest up for another dominant showing. The Rockets are winners of four straight, including a strong victory against BVC foe Arlington in week-one playoff action, and will look to carry their lethal offense from Friday's game into another tough playoff contest.