Preview: Holcomb Longhorns vs. Pratt Greenbacks
Two dominant backs in Damon Mesa and Max Younie are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Holcomb Longhorns will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Pratt Greenbacks at 7:00 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Kansas (Holcomb is ranked 63rd, while Pratt is ranked 62nd).
Holcomb put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 48-22 margin over Southwestern Heights. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-6.
Among those leading the charge was Keegan Johnson, who threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns while completing 100% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Korbin Johnson, who picked up 74 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 52 points the game before, Pratt were a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They were outmatched by Andale on the road and fell 43-6. Pratt was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 29-6.
The win makes it two in a row for Holcomb and bumps their season record up to 6-2. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-7 Southwestern Heights (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 43.8% over those games). As for Pratt, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Holcomb has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 227.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pratt struggles in that department as they've been even better at 267.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Holcomb came up short against Pratt in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 47-34. Can Holcomb avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
