Football Game Preview: Walthill Blujays vs. Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars

The Walthill Blujays will face off against the Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.

Walthill played against Randolph on Friday and lost via forfeit.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 76-18 win over Bancroft-Rosalie. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

A big part of Lyons-Decatur Northeast's win came down to the chemistry between Brady Hayes and his top target Josh Mendez. Hayes rushed for 91 yards on only nine carries while Mendez rushed for 54 yards and one score. Mendez's longest rush was for an impressive 53 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 516 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Hayes and Eric Hart.

Walthill's loss dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Lyons-Decatur Northeast, their victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 3-4.

Walthill took a serious blow against Lyons-Decatur Northeast when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 62-12. Thankfully for the Blujays, Landen Cooper (who rushed for 121 yards and three TDs on only ten carries) 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.