The Prairie View Buffalos will square off against the Burlington Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Prairie View's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last six games.
On Friday, Prairie View took their contest with ease, bagging a 52-20 win over Iola. With the Buffalos ahead 38-12 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Parker Schwarz had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 422 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 59 yards.
Schwarz was just one part of a punishing run game: Prairie View was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 475 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 48 points the game before, Burlington was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They were outmatched by Wellsville and fell 56-0. Considering the last time the Wildcats couldn't score was back in September, the team can't take the result too hard.
Prairie View pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points over those games. As for Burlington, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.
Thursday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Prairie View has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 364.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Burlington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 172.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Prairie View against Burlington in their previous matchup back in September, as the squad secured a 48-13 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Wildcats' Alex Mautz, who rushed for 119 yards and one TD on only 15 carries, and also picked up 42 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Buffalos still be able to contain Mautz? There's only one way to find out.
