Football Game Preview: Azle Hornets vs. Richland Royals

The Azle Hornets will face off against the Richland Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Azle's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Aledo on Friday. They were dealt a 73-0 defeat at the hands of the Bearcats. The loss continues a trend for the Hornets in their meetings with the Bearcats: they've now lost six in a row.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 63 points the game before, Richland was a bit more limited in their contest two weeks ago. They took a blow against Aledo, falling 72-10. The game marked the Royals' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Jayshon Gibson and Kaden Winkfield. Winkfield had a great game and rushed for 85 yards and two TDs on only five carries. Meanwhile, Gibson was balling out in the loss, rushing for 80 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries, while also picking up 38 receiving yards.

Richland's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Azle, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Azle has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 224.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Richland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 248 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Azle was dealt a bruising 58-28 defeat at the hands of Richland in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Thankfully for the Hornets, Drew Kates (who threw for 412 yards and six TDs while completing 78.3% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.