Football Game Preview: Meridian Hawks vs. Metro-East Lutheran Knights

The Meridian Hawks will square off against the Metro-East Lutheran Knights at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Meridian is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed past Hutsonville/Palestine to the tune of 60-16 on Friday. With the Hawks ahead 48-16 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Bryce Brown

Rushing Yards (Career)

09/19/25 @ Hutsonville/Palestine	69
10/18/24 @ Fisher	57
09/13/25 vs Pawnee/Lincolnwood	39
08/30/25 @ South Fork/Edinburg/Morrisonville	24
10/25/24 @ Warrensburg-Latham	14

Meridian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bryce Brown, who threw for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 69 yards and one TD. Those 69 rushing yards gave Brown a new career-high. Seth Ralston was another key player, gaining 139 total yards and three touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Meridian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 222 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meridian didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off five passes before the game was over. Ethan Long led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Brown got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Metro-East Lutheran put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game with ease, bagging a 67-8 win over Blue Ridge. Fans of Metro-East Lutheran have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.

Metro-East Lutheran's win came from a few key players Meridian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Abe Oberhauser, who rushed for 53 yards and two scores, and also threw for 103 yards and three TDs on only six passes. Another player making a difference was Lee Watson, who rushed for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only six carries.

Meridian's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Metro-East Lutheran, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.