KSR Game of the Week: Raceland at Paris

The KSR Game of the Week is heading to the glorious orange turf at Paris High School this Friday night.

The ninth KSR Game of the Week of the 2024 season will pit the host Paris Greyhounds (4-3) against the visiting Raceland Rams (4-3) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST. This will be an important matchup in the standings — both teams are 1-0 in Class 1A’s District 6 and will jump to the top of the district standings with a 2-0 record.

Both Paris and Raceland enter the weekend with an identical 4-3 record, tied atop Class 1A District 6 with a 1-0 record. In District play, Paris drummed Nicholas County 45-18 last Friday night, while Raceland boat raced Fairview 56-6. The winner of this game will be well on its way to a District title.

Looking at On3’s Massey Ratings score predictions, Raceland has a whopping 95 percent chance to win this game with the projected final score favoring the Rams, 42-14. Here’s what you need to know about both teams.

Raceland Rams (4-3)

The Rams enter the weekend with a 4-3 record, its worst through its first seven games since 2020. Two of the three losses however have come to teams ranked in KSR’s Top 25 Rankings. Raceland opened its season with a 28-7 loss to No. 15 Ashland Blazer, and was blanked 35-0 in its fourth game of the season against No. 17 Highlands. Its other loss was a nail biting 16-13 loss to Pikeville in week three.

Raceland’s offense favors the run, as 55% of their total yards have come on the ground, while 45% have been through the air. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Waller has been the primary quarterback, and has thrown for 631 yards and five touchdowns this season. He’s assisted on offense by sophomore running back Landon Stiltner (457 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns), junior running back Shannon Marushi (192 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns), and sophomore wide receiver Jonah Arnett (21 receptions, 237 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns).

The Rams are averaging 326 yards of offense per game while limiting opponents to just seven points per game over their three-game winning streak (Newport Central Catholic, Hazard, Fairview).

Paris Greyhounds (4-3)

Paris has played a considerably easier schedule than Raceland, yet sport an identical 4-3 record. However, the Greyhounds are an undefeated 3-0 on their extremely orange field.

The Greyhounds are led offensively by senior running back Alex Koeder, who has scampered for 508 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns this season. Sophomore quarterback Julius Gregory continues to improve in his second season as QB1 in Paris. Gregory has thrown for 435 passing yards and five touchdowns this season, as well as running for 136 yards and a score.

Senior quarterback Kaden Fredrick has seen time at the position as well, and has thrown for 408 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Elijah Webb has hauled in six scores and 313 yards. The Paris defense is led by senior linebacker Preston Cowan, who leads the team with 74 tackles, 16 TFL, and four sacks.

Since 1999, Paris and Raceland have played 17 times. The Rams have won 15 of those 17 games by an average of 26 points per game.