Football Preview: Branson Bulls vs. Stuart Hall Knights
Branson and Stuart Hall are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2016, but not for long. The Branson Bulls will square off against the Stuart Hall Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Branson comes in on three and Stuart Hall on six.
Branson's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They breezed by South Fork at home to the tune of 58-0. That looming 58-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bulls yet this season.
Tom Lardner was his usual excellent self, throwing for 194 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble and making a tackle in addition to snagging an interception. Chase Hoeveler was Lardner's top target, picking up 95 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Branson wouldn't let South Fork keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. Mo Jacoby led the group effort, picking up two of those forced fumbles all by himself. Lardner is also on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Stuart Hall faced Roseland University Prep in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Stuart Hall took their game at home with ease, bagging a 68-20 victory over Roseland University Prep. Fans of the Knights have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Rhett Sypult continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 281 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.
Branson pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Stuart Hall, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Lardner and Sypult. Lardner has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 241.4 passing yards and has 20 passing touchdowns on the season. For his part, Sypult has averaged 222.2 passing yards and has 25 passing touchdowns on the season.
Branson came up short against Stuart Hall when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 70-60. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Sypult, who threw for 404 yards and six touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Now that Branson knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
