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WELLSBURG -- Off to their best start in 16 years, the Brooke Bruins are looking to keep it going on Friday night when they return home coming off a big, bounce back win.
Brooke went in the road to Buckeye 8 Conference foe Beaver Local and put together a strong performance in a 33-20 victory over the Beavers, putting a tough loss to Indian Creek in the rear view.
Now, sitting 3-1 for the first time since the 2010 season, the Bruins are coming home Friday night for a big match up of teams in the thick of the Class AAA playoff race as Ripley comes to Brooke Memorial Stadium.
The Vikings, who sit at 4-1 and are seventh in the Class AAA standings, come to Brooke County on a four-game winning streak after dropping their opener at Sissonville.
They have topped Ravenswood (35-14), the lone mutual opponent with Bruins in Lincoln County (42-18), Point Pleasant (54-29) and Nitro (49-13) in consecutive weeks.
The Vikings QB Jackson Moore has thrown for 429 yards and four TDs with two picks, completing 55 percent of his passes.
His top target is Peyton Keller, a fellow senior with 15 catches for 216 yards and a score, also rushing for 117 yards and two more endzone trips.
The ground, however, is where the Vikings have done the most damage. They average 335.6 yards per game and 8.4 yards per carry as a team, scoring 24 of their 28 touchdowns in the rushing game.
That effort is led by junior Jordan Adkins, who has 636 yards and 13 touchdowns averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 127.2 per game. Moore has also been a big contributor with his legs, averaging 14.6 yards per carry and 93.2 yards per game in racking up 466 yards rushing and seven scores.
Brooke, which enters the week at No. 11 in the Class AAA standings and has a big opportunity to move up, is led by quarterback Kam Sperringer with 633 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, completing 52 percent of his passes and averaging 158.3 yards per game.
His top target is senior Grant Yost, who has 14 catches for 204 yards, while Michael Gibson has three touchdown grabs. On the ground, Cole Bolen, a senior, leads the way with 340 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Yost leads the defense with 31 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and fumble recovery.