Football Game Preview: Laurens Raiders vs. Emerald Vikings + How To Watch

The Laurens Raiders will challenge the Emerald Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Laurens has given up an average of 38.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Friday, Laurens was beaten by Westside 41-9. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 140th, while the Rams are ranked 48th).

Despite the loss, Laurens had strong showings from Damajia Crooks, who picked up 123 receiving yards and one touchdown, and Logan Bragg, who threw for 172 yards on 15 of 30 attempts.

Meanwhile, Emerald was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 35-31 to Fountain Inn.

Laurens will need to focus on slowing down Christopher Dean, one of several Emerald players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 160 yards while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 91 receiving yards and one TD. Another signal caller making a difference was Beau Hite, who threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt.

Even if they lost, Emerald's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Jeremiah Johnson refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Fountain Inn's side was Christian Foster, who made 24 total tackles (3.0 for loss).

This is the second loss in a row for Laurens and nudges their season record down to 1-8. As for Emerald, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Laurens came up short against Emerald in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, falling 26-17. Will the Raiders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.