Football Preview: Hasbrouck Heights Aviators vs. Butler Bulldogs
Hasbrouck Heights has won six straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Butler has won six straight on the road also dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Hasbrouck Heights Aviators will square off against the Butler Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Last Saturday, Hasbrouck Heights blew past Saddle Brook, posting a 42-6 win on the road.
Hasbrouck Heights got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jake Summers out in front 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 back 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. Joseph Russo was especially locked on to Saddle Brook's QB and sacked him twice. Russo 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 humbled Secaucus with a 48-14 victory. 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 on Friday 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. The team also got some help courtesy of David Smith, who threw 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 matchup 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 game 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? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
