Football Preview: Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs vs. Akron Rams
Haxtun has won five straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Akron has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs will host the Akron Rams at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Haxtun is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Merino, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Haxtun was ranked first). Haxtun blew past Merino, posting a 70-6 victory on the road. The Fightin' Bulldogs' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Grant Statz continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 128 yards and four touchdowns on only eight carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Zach Statz, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Haxtun was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 336 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in ten consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Haxtun wouldn't let Merino keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Brandon Nall, Corbin Andersen, and Madden Larsen picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Akron was fully in charge last Saturday, breezing past Dayspring Christian Academy 36-8 on the road. The 36-point effort marked the Rams' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Anderson Filla and Elijah Martin. Filla had a great game and rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Martin was balling out in the loss, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Haxtun's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Akron, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.
Everything came up roses for Haxtun against Akron when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 44-0 win. Will Haxtun repeat their success, or does Akron have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
