Football Game Preview: Smithville Tigers vs. Salado Eagles

The Smithville Tigers will square off against the Salado Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Smithville has given up an average of 51.8 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Friday, Smithville took a blow against Wimberley, falling 84-26. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 990th, while the Texans are ranked 316th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Salado, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They were the clear victors by a 42-21 margin over Gonzales on Friday.

Smithville better keep an eye on Luke Bingham. He was instrumental in Salado's win, rushing for 175 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 8.8 yards per carry.

Salado was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 249 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups.

Salado didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Hays Ramsey and Max Gist. Ramsey is becoming a predictor of Salado's success: when he posts at least one interception the team is 5-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Another thorn in Gonzales' side was Damonte Foster, who picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Salado's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-3. As for Smithville, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.

Smithville was taken down by Salado 59-16 in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Thankfully for the Tigers, Lincoln Hossfeld (who threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes) 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.