The Belton Tigers will challenge the Rudder Rangers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Belton has given up an average of 34.4 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Friday, Belton was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 33-27 to University.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Will Shepard and Savoy Nichols. Nichols had a great game and rushed for 112 yards and one score on only 12 carries. Meanwhile, Shepard was balling out in the loss, rushing for 98 yards and one TD, while also throwing for 98 yards and one touchdown.
Belton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Lyric McGinnis. Belton got some further help from Alex Carpenter: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Rudder played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Brenham 53-13. The Rangers have struggled against the Cubs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Although Rudder took the loss, they still got scores from Sylas Sullivan and Jordan Olivia.
Rudder's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Belton, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Belton has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 377 total yards per game. It's a different story for Rudder, though, as they've been averaging only 206.4 total yards. Will Belton be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Rangers flip the script?
Belton didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Rudder when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 38-34 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Rangers' Javyn Jessie, who threw for 264 yards and four TDs, and also punched in one score on the ground. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Tigers to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
