Preview: Richland Royals vs. Birdville Hawks
The Richland Royals will head out on the road to face off against the Birdville Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Richland is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
Last Friday, Richland was fully in charge, breezing past Newman Smith 54-14 at home. Given Richland's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 148th, while Newman Smith is ranked 391st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Richland's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Drew Kates, who rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, and also threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Kates is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played. Richland also got a significant boost from Michael Turner, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 173 yards.
Meanwhile, Birdville got themselves on the board against Sunset on Thursday, but Sunset never followed suit. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 41-0 win over the Bison. The win made it back-to-back wins for Birdville.
Among those leading the charge was Noah Normand, who threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Jaylen Davis was another key contributor, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Richland's victory was their fourth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 7-0. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.3 points per game. As for Birdville, their win on Thursday bumped their record up to 3-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Richland has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 220.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Birdville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 159.3 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Richland came up short against Birdville in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, falling 34-30. Can Richland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
