Football Preview: Joliet J Hawks vs. Jefferson Panthers
Two dominant backs in Jake Cook and Luke Oxarart are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Joliet J Hawks will take on the Jefferson Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Joliet is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road.
Joliet is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Huntley Project just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 22-14 to the Red Devils.
Despite their defeat, Joliet saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kaden Juhnke, who rushed for 50 yards, and also threw for 96 yards and a touchdown, was perhaps the best of all. That's the most rushing yards Juhnke has posted since back in August of 2023. Joliet also got a significant boost from Cook, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 82 yards.
Meanwhile, Jefferson hadn't done well against Broadwater recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Jefferson breezed by Broadwater to the tune of 31-3. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by 23 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Oxarart, who rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.1 yards per carry, and also threw for ten yards and a touchdown.
Jefferson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 329 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Joliet's loss dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Jefferson, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Saturday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Joliet has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Jefferson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 223.7. It's looking like Saturday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Joliet was taken down by Jefferson 47-7 when the teams last played back in September of 2014. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Joliet was down 44-0.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
