The Westside Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the West Laurens Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after nine games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
If West Laurens heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Westside took over last week. The Patriots enjoyed a cozy 44-27 win over Baldwin on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Patriots' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 84th, while the Braves are ranked 237th).
Meanwhile, West Laurens beat Aquinas 49-42 on Friday.
Westside better keep an eye on Ty Cummings. He was instrumental in West Laurens' win, rushing for 281 yards and five TDs while picking up 13.4 yards per carry. Cummings really tore up the turf during one magnificent 70-yard run.
West Laurens was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 398 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 176 rushing yards in 15 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
West Laurens didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut JD Hogan. West Laurens got some further help from Maxx Chafin: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made 11 total tackles.
Westside's record now sits at 9-0. As for West Laurens, their record is now an identical 9-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Westside has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 209.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like West Laurens struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 338.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Westside's way against West Laurens when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as Westside made off with a 28-7 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Raiders' Juvon Hill, who picked up 50 receiving yards and one score, and also rushed for 48 yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Patriots still be able to contain Hill? There's only one way to find out.
