The Smith-Cotton Tigers will take on the Raytown Bluejays at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Smith-Cotton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They blew past Grandview 48-7. That 41 point margin sets a new team best for the Tigers this season.
Smith-Cotton got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Armand Wright out in front who rushed for 101 yards and one score on only five carries. Wright got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 53 yards. Grayson Pottorff was in the mix too, providing Smith-Cotton with two touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Smith-Cotton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 250 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 95.4 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they've averaged 187.3.
Smith-Cotton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Parker Curry was the real danger to the passing game, picking up an interception all by himself.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last contest, Raytown made sure to put some points up on the board against Battle on Friday. The Bluejays never let the Spartans get on the board and left with a 42-0 victory. Considering the Bluejays have won six matchups by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Smith-Cotton better keep an eye on Jaeden Davis. He was instrumental in Raytown's win, picking up 147 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Those 147 receiving yards gave Davis a new career-high. Aaron Giles was another key player, rushing for 103 yards on only 11 carries.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Raytown's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Jamyri Green and Javontez Taylor Poe, who racked up five sacks between them. Green also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with six. Maurion West got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Raytown moved to 6-4 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Smith-Cotton, their record is now an identical 6-4.
Smith-Cotton was dealt a bruising 36-0 loss at the hands of Raytown in their previous meeting back in October of 2020. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
