Football Game Preview: Spring Hill Raiders vs. Battle Creek Grizzlies

After each having a week off, the Spring Hill Raiders and the Battle Creek Grizzlies will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Saturday, Spring Hill came up short against Dickson County and fell 24-17.

The losing side was boosted by Lionel Brooks, who rushed for 113 yards and one score on only 13 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 57 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Battle Creek). They were the clear victors by a 40-16 margin over Montgomery Central last Friday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Grizzlies needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.

Battle Creek found their leader in sophomore Colten Barba, who threw for 149 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 80% of his passes, and also rushed for 41 yards and one touchdown. Another player making a difference was Jackson Wells, who picked up 92 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Battle Creek didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Montgomery Central to a completion percentage of just 50%. The team can thank Chris Lemming for the heroic effort on defense: he. Battle Creek has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.6 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.6 in their last three games.

Spring Hill's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Battle Creek, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 2-5.

Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Spring Hill has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 181.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Battle Creek, though, as they've been averaging only 42 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.