Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

No. 6 Regina (6-1) at No. 5 Wilton (7-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Wilton High School

This is for all the marbles in Class 1A, District 5.

Well, sort of.

Wilton sits atop the District 5 standings at 4-0 following a win over West Branch last Friday.

Regina and West Branch, who closes the regular season at home against winless Durant, are both 3-1.

For Wilton the scenario is simple, win and the Beavers are district champions.

If Regina wins by more than four points the Regals would earn the district title via margin of victory tiebreaker over West Branch and Regina.

There is a lot at stake in the final game of the regular season between River Valley Conference rivals.

Players to Watch

Regina

Senior receiver Jackson Naeve has been among the most productive and explosive offensive players in Class 1A this season.

In the biggest game of the season to date look for Regina to lean on their biggest weapon.

Naeve leads Class 1A with 689 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions and ranks third in 1A with 1,388 all purpose yards.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Naeve has rushed for 189 yards and five touchdowns to go with his receiving numbers and is also a major threat on special teams.

Naeve has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and is averaging 31.9 yards per kick off return and has returned a punt for a touchdown and is averaging 24.9 yards per punt return.

Wilton

Wilton junior quarterback Drew Keith has been fantastic this season leading the Beaver offense but on a night where weather conditions could be a factor look for Wilton to lean on junior tailback Owen Hassell.

Hassell has been among the best backs in 1A this season rushing for 772 yards and 16 touchdowns to go with seven receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.

The 5-foot-9, 165 Hassell isn’t a big back but he’s a workhorse that gets better as the game goes.

Hassell had perhaps his most impressive game of the season last week against West Branch running for 114 yards and two touchdowns against a stingy Bear defensive front.

Like Naeve, Hassell showed he can be a threat on special teams returning a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against West Branch.

Keys to the Game

Regina

Punch it in.

There isn’t a lot to criticize with the Regina offense this season.

The Regals are averaging 379 total yards and 43.3 points per game and 8.2 yards per play and have scored 44 or more points in six of seven games.

Of the 41 touchdowns for the Regals this season only two came in Regina’s lone loss at West Branch in week 6.

In that game the Regals moved the football (351 total yards on 5.2 yards per play) but failed to get points in multiple trips inside the Bear 30 yard line.

Against a strong Wilton defense on a night where possessions could be limited and weather conditions could be a factor Regina will need to cash in on its scoring opportunities with touchdowns to earn a district title.

Wilton

Run the football.

It’s no secret that Wilton wants to run the ball and Beavers have still been extremely productive in the ground game.

Wilton is averaging 204 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry behind Hassell and Keith who has rushed for 590 yards.

The weather forecast makes Friday look like a potential ground and pound game for the Beaver offense which rushed for 152 yards against a strong West Branch defensive front last week.

Regina has been excellent against the run this season holding opponents to 104 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry and the Regals haven’t allowed more than 132 rushing yards in a game this year.

This becomes the game inside the game as Wilton attempts to move the ball on the ground against a Regina defense built to stop the run.

Both Teams

Finish.

Both Regina and Wilton have had one game come down to the fourth quarter this season.

For both teams it was the meeting with West Branch.

Regina was outscored 7-0 in the fourth quarter in a 21-17 loss to West Branch while Wilton outscored the Bears 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

That’s is obviously a small, one-game sample size but it proves the difference between the three teams atop District 5 is very slim.

Friday sets up not just as four-quarter game but as a slugfest between two teams that want to be physical on a night that could feature weather conditions that are less than ideal.

This feels like a game that comes down to the final few possessions so whichever team is able to finish strongest likely comes out on top.

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