Football Game Preview: Huntington Raiders vs. Byrd Yellow Jackets

The Huntington Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Byrd Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Huntington has given up an average of 48.8 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Huntington managed to slip by Evangel Christian Academy the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Raiders were outmatched by the Eagles and fell 62-14. The matchup marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Adrian Johnson

Receiving Yards

09/26/25 @ Haughton	128
09/04/25 @ West Monroe	122
09/12/25 @ Captain Shreve	106
10/02/25 vs Evangel Christian Academy	100
09/19/25 vs Benton	100

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Justin Whitaker, who threw for 202 yards and two TDs while completing 73.1% of his passes, and also rushed for 46 yards. 100 of Whitaker's passing yards were hauled in by Adrian Johnson.

Meanwhile, Byrd played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 52-24 loss at the hands of Parkway. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Yellow Jackets have suffered against the Panthers since September 29, 2016.

Huntington will have to contain Collin Deere as he made an impact in Byrd's last game. He rushed for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Christian Maxie, who rushed for 81 yards and one score.

Huntington now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Byrd, their loss dropped their record down to 1-4.

Huntington came up short against Byrd in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 24-20. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.