Football Game Preview: Blue Ridge Tigers vs. Blooming Grove Lions

The Blue Ridge Tigers will take on the Blooming Grove Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Blooming Grove took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Blue Ridge, who comes in off a win.

Blue Ridge is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Howe: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Tigers blew the Bulldogs out of the water with a 49-6 final score. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-0.

Liam Finan

Passing Touchdowns

11/06/25 vs Howe	5
10/03/25 @ S & S Consolidated	4
09/19/25 @ Honey Grove	4
09/12/25 vs Bonham	4
10/31/25 @ Callisburg	3
+ 3 more games

Blue Ridge got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Liam Finan out in front who threw for 249 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 12.5 yards per attempt. The Tigers are 4-1 when Finan posts three or more passing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise. Blue Ridge also got a significant boost from Jacob Walker, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 125 yards.

Meanwhile, Blooming Grove played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Scurry-Rosser and fell 45-7. The loss continues a trend for the Lions in their meetings with the Wildcats: they've now lost four in a row.

Blue Ridge will have to contain Gryason Baumgartner as he made an impact in Blooming Grove's last game. He rushed for 147 yards and one TD.

Blue Ridge now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Blooming Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.

Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. Blue Ridge has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 197.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Blooming Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 165.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.