Football Game Preview: Hatley Tigers vs. Hamilton Lions

The Hatley Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Hamilton Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hamilton took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Hatley, who comes in off a win.

It was a proper cat-fight when Hatley took on Walnut on Friday. The Tigers walked away with a 22-14 victory over the Wildcats. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won three in a row.

A big part of Hatley's victory came down to the chemistry between Chris Foster and his top target Tikiyu Buckingham. Foster rushed for 20 yards and one TD while Buckingham rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. An impressive showing, but Buckingham really ramped things up playing D: he made eight total tackles and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception.

Hatley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 210 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Hamilton came up short against Baldwyn on Friday and fell 38-28.

Hatley will have to keep a close watch on Justin Verner and Ian Nichols, a pair of players who had a big impact on Hamilton's prior game. Verner threw for 365 yards and a pair of TDs, while Nichols picked up 148 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Hamilton's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Hatley, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Hatley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 203.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hamilton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 184.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Hatley might still be hurting after the 34-14 loss they got from Hamilton when the teams last played back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Verner, who rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries, and also threw for 99 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that the Tigers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.