Football Game Preview: Heartland Huskies vs. East Butler Tigers

The Heartland Huskies are taking a road trip to face off against the East Butler Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Heartland has given up an average of 50.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Heartland is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against McCool Junction on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Huskies had to suffer through a 64-24 loss at the hands of the Mustangs. The Huskies have struggled against the Mustangs recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Heartland might have lost, but man, Nevada Gloystein was a machine: he rushed for 106 yards and one TD, and also picked up 39 receiving yards and one score.

Meanwhile, East Butler got their first taste of in-conference action on Friday and they started things off strong. They enjoyed a cozy 40-26 victory over Mead. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won three in a row.

Heartland better keep an eye on Grant Kozisek. He was instrumental in East Butler's win, rushing for 316 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. Those five rushing touchdowns gave Kozisek a new career-high.

East Butler didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Mead to a completion percentage of just 39.6%. The team can thank Dane Sova for the heroic effort on defense: he. East Butler wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 16.7%.

East Butler didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kozisek and Devon Prochaska. Kozisek also punched in five rushing touchdowns, which is notable because East Butler is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise.

East Butler's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Heartland, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.

Heartland was taken down by East Butler 62-24 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Huskies were down 55-16.