Football Preview: Hasbrouck Heights Aviators vs. Butler Bulldogs
Hasbrouck Heights is on a six-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Butler is on a five-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Hasbrouck Heights Aviators will welcome the Butler Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Saturday, Hasbrouck Heights was fully in charge, breezing past Saddle Brook 42-6 on the road.
Hasbrouck Heights' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jake Summers led the charge by rushing for 139 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. The dominant performance gave Summers a new career-high in rushing yards. Michael Napolitano was another key back, rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Hasbrouck Heights' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Joseph Russo with two. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 12 games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hasbrouck Heights was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 382 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 222 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Butler humbled Secaucus with a 48-14 victory. Fans of the Bulldogs have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Butler got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Pj Coffey out in front who picked up 128 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Another passer making a difference was David Smith, who threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes.
Butler's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Matt Barile and Mikey Henehan.
Hasbrouck Heights now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Butler, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Hasbrouck Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 292.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Butler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 204.3. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hasbrouck Heights came up short against Butler in their previous matchup back in September of 2022, falling 28-21. Thankfully for Hasbrouck Heights, Bobby Battipede (who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 95 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
