Preview: Belton Tigers vs. University Trojans
Belton is 3-0 against University since August of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Belton Tigers will be playing in front of their home fans against the University Trojans at 7:00 p.m. Belton will be looking to keep their nine-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.
Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Belton beat Chaparral 20-14. Given Belton's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 221st, while Chaparral is ranked 594th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Reese Rumfield continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 171 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 passes.
University aren't just finding sucess at home, as their game on Friday extended their overall winning streak to three. They strolled past Pflugerville Connally with points to spare, taking the game 41-23.
University got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was LaDarrius Evans out in front who rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of London Smith, who gained 85 total yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was University's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Edgar Marquez and his two sacks.
Belton's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for University, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Belton has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like University struggles in that department as they've been even better at 267.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Belton came out on top in a nail-biter against University in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, sneaking past 31-29. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was University's Mekhi Sandolph, who rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Belton to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
