Football Preview: McCool Junction Mustangs vs. Heartland Huskies
The McCool Junction Mustangs will square off against the Heartland Huskies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. McCool Junction will be strutting in after a win while Heartland will be coming in after a loss.
McCool Junction took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They put the hurt on Mead with a sharp 50-30 victory.
Carson Mcdonald was his usual excellent self, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 98 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Marcus Chambers was another key player, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: McCool Junction was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 379 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mead only rushed for 114.
Meanwhile, Heartland was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat dating back to last season. They were beaten by Centennial 38-0. The Huskies gained 79 more yards on the day, but it was the Broncos that made the best use of them.
Loss or not, Heartland got some senior leadership from Luis Alvarez and Carter Siebert. Alvarez rushed for 152 yards, while Siebert rushed for 152 yards. That's the most rushing yards Siebert has posted since back in September of 2023.
McCool Junction now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Heartland, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: McCool Junction has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 415.2 total yards per game. It's a different story for Heartland, though, as they've been averaging only 187. Will McCool Junction be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Heartland flip the script?
McCool Junction was able to grind out a solid win over Heartland in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, winning 36-24. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Heartland's Hudson Regier, who rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for McCool Junction to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
