Football Preview: Prince George Royals vs. Hopewell Blue Devils
After two games on the road, Prince George is heading back home. They will welcome the Hopewell Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Prince George is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Matoaca on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Prince George was beaten by Matoaca 50-21. The Royals have struggled against the Warriors recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Prince George might have lost, but man, Nolan Lee was a machine: he rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 52 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Hopewell hadn't done well against Thomas Dale recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Hopewell came out on top against Thomas Dale by a score of 21-14. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.
A big part of Hopewell's win came down to the chemistry between Teriq Drew and his top target Shaheed Whitfield. Drew threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes while Whitfield picked up 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Whitfield was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 52 yards.
Hopewell didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Antonio Monroe Jr and Tymein Thomas.
Hopewell pushed their record up to 5-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.3 points per game. As for Prince George, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Prince George has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 197.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hopewell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 172.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Prince George might still be hurting after the 48-27 loss they got from Hopewell when the teams last played back in November of 2023. Will Prince George have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
