Football Game Preview: Ellison Eagles vs. Rudder Rangers

The Ellison Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Rudder Rangers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ellison has given up an average of 33.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Things were looking good for Ellison after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 33-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of Brenham. The Eagles gained 131 more yards on the day, but it was the Cubs that made the best use of them.

Prince Hall

Receiving Yards

10/09/25 @ Belton	128
09/27/25 @ Odessa	97
10/24/25 @ Brenham	94
09/05/25 @ Killeen	74
08/29/25 vs Copperas Cove	68

Despite the loss, Ellison saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Renaldo Johnson forced one fumble and made 11 total tackles (4.0 for loss). The Eagles also got help from Prince Hall, who showed off his sure hands for 94 receiving yards.

Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 2.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Johnson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Ellison's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 3.6.

Meanwhile, Rudder was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 35-0 loss at the hands of Belton. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Rangers haven't been shut out since back in September.

Ellison's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Rudder, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.

Ellison was able to grind out a solid win over Rudder when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 54-41. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Rangers' Javyn Jessie, who threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 63 yards on only six carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Eagles to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.