Football Game Preview: Hulbert Riders vs. Pocola Indians

The Hulbert Riders will square off against the Pocola Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hulbert has given up an average of 26.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Hulbert is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Panama on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Riders came up short against the Razorbacks, falling 40-14. The Riders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Hulbert might have lost, but man, Cody Botts was a machine: he rushed for 114 yards and one score on only 11 carries. Botts got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 65 yards.

Meanwhile, Pocola came up short against Rejoice Christian on Friday and fell 27-20. The loss continues a trend for the Indians in their meetings with the Eagles: they've now lost three in a row.

Hulbert will have to contain Jaryus Birdsong as he made an impact in Pocola's last game. He rushed for 69 yards and a pair of TDs, and also picked up 39 receiving yards.

Pocola's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Hulbert, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.

The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Hulbert has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 201.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Pocola has preferred to attack from the air: they average 294.4 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.

Hulbert took a serious blow against Pocola when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 60-16. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Indians' Jaseir Posey, who threw for 244 yards and five touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes. Now that the Riders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.