Laurel is on an eight-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Whitefish is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Locomotives will welcome the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Laurel is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Havre, who was ranked 18th at the time (Laurel was ranked second). The Locomotives took their matchup last Friday with ease, bagging a 49-13 victory over the Blue Ponies. With the Locomotives ahead 42-6 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Laurel's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Curtis Fox, who rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.4 yards per carry. Fox showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 57 yards. Another signal caller making a difference was Krew Hunter, who threw for 239 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 90% of his passes.
Laurel didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Havre to a completion percentage of just 42.9%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from two players: Griffin Weisenberger and Gabe Glassing, who each logged one passes deflected. Laurel 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.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Whitefish walked away with it. They breezed past the Maroons to the tune of 52-6 on Friday. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Bulldogs had established a 43-point advantage.
Whitefish's win came from a few key players Laurel will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Luke Dalen, who rushed for 123 yards and three scores on only 12 carries, and also threw for 218 yards while completing 72.7% of his passes. Those 218 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Cole Moses was another key player, gaining 132 total yards and three touchdowns.
Whitefish didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Vlad Shestak and Jordan Harmon.
Whitefish's win bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Laurel, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Laurel has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 208.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Whitefish struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 206.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
