Football Preview: Branson Pirates vs. Republic Tigers
The Branson Pirates will challenge the Republic Tigers on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Branson is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Glendale with a sharp 50-29 victory. The win was just business as usual for the Pirates, who after ten games remain undefeated this season.
Meanwhile, Republic came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 40.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 54-27 victory over the Hornets. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Hornets are ranked 183rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Republic's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Preston Mccracken led the charge by rushing for 26 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 100 yards and a touchdown. Another rusher making a difference was Izaiah Hull, who rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Republic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 354 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests.
Republic's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Branson, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Branson came up short against Republic when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 35-25. Thankfully for Branson, Wyatt Woods (who rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per carry, and also threw for 53 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
