The Stephenville Yellow Jackets/Honeybees will challenge the West Plains Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Stephenville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past Randall to the tune of 51-6. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 30-0.
Stephenville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Braxton Champion and Cash Kribbs.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter and that's exactly how it played out for West Plains on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Canyon out of the water with a 35-3 final score. Given the Wolves' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Eagles are ranked 246th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Stephenville better keep an eye on REID MACON. He was instrumental in West Plains' win, throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. That's the most passing yards MACON has posted since back in September. West Plains' leading receiver KADEN HOOKER was MACON's top target yet again, picking up 81 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
West Plains didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Canyon to a completion percentage of just 50%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: HOOKER, LAWSON BETANCOURT, and BRYCEN WILLIAMS, who each logged one passes deflected. West Plains wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 65.4%.
West Plains' defense didn't let Brox Hacker, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. In that department, WILLIAMS was the leader with two. West Plains received some extra help from AIDEN GREEN, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Stephenville's victory was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-0. The team's perfect season has a lot to do with their offensive performance: the team's won by an average of 38.1 points thus far. As for West Plains, their record is now 12-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Stephenville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 202.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like West Plains struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 309.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Stephenville couldn't quite get it done against West Plains when the teams last played back in December of 2024 as they fell 42-35. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of MACON, who threw for 261 yards and three TDs while completing 81.8% of his passes, and also rushed for 47 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Now that the Yellow Jackets/Honeybees know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
