Football Preview: Hasbrouck Heights Aviators vs. Butler Bulldogs
Hasbrouck Heights is on a six-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Butler is on a five-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Hasbrouck Heights Aviators will welcome the Butler Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Saturday, everything came up roses for Hasbrouck Heights on the road against Saddle Brook as the squad secured a 42-6 victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hasbrouck Heights to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jake Summers, who rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. The dominant performance gave Summers a new career-high in rushing yards. Another rusher making a difference was Michael Napolitano, who rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Hasbrouck Heights' defense stepped up as well, laying out Nikolos Vitiello. three times. Leading the way was Joseph Russo with two sacks. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 12 games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hasbrouck Heights was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 382 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 222 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Butler was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Secaucus 48-14 at home. Fans of the Bulldogs have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Butler's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Pj Coffey, who picked up 128 receiving yards and three touchdowns. David Smith was another key signal caller, throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes.
Butler's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Matt Barile and Mikey Henehan.
Hasbrouck Heights now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Butler, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Hasbrouck Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 292.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Butler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 204.3. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hasbrouck Heights came up short against Butler in their previous meeting back in September of 2022, falling 28-21. Thankfully for Hasbrouck Heights, Bobby Battipede (who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 95 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
