Football Preview: Hooker Bulldogs vs. Watonga Eagles
The Hooker Bulldogs will take on the Watonga Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hooker has seven straight victories, Watonga has 18 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Hooker blew past Merritt, posting a 47-8 win. Considering the Bulldogs have won six games by more than 29 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hooker's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Justin Palacios, who rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, and Kleat Martens, who rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Palacios' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 161 rushing yards.
Hooker was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 281 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 158 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Hooker didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of James Curtis and Palacios.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Watonga's offense. They were outmatched by Crescent at home and fell 33-0. The shutout was out of character for the Eagles seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in September.
Hooker's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1. As for Watonga, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Everything came up roses for Hooker against Watonga when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 61-0 win. Does Hooker have another victory up their sleeve, or will Watonga turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
