The Highland Park Scots will face off against the Lake Belton Broncos at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Highland Park knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past eight matchups -- so hopefully Lake Belton likes a good challenge.
On Friday, Highland Park strolled past Midlothian with points to spare, taking the game 42-28.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Highland Park to victory, but perhaps none more so than Harrison Cullum, who picked up 81 receiving yards and two TDs. Another pass catcher making a difference was Cannon Bozman, who picked up 60 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Highland Park didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Midlothian to a completion percentage of just 48%. The Scots weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 62.5%.
Highland Park didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Dean Dulin and Jack Swaldi, who each picked up one interception apiece.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lake Belton). They claimed a resounding 53-20 win over Chaparral. Considering the Broncos have won three contests by more than 25 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Lake Belton's win came from a few key players Highland Park will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Arrington Alexander, who rushed for 90 yards and a pair of scores. What's more, he posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in September. Davion Peters was in the mix too, providing Lake Belton with two TDs.
Lake Belton's defense made their presence known, laying out BRYSON COLEMAN three times. Jonathan Russell was especially locked on to Chaparral's QB and sacked him twice. Russell is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season. Lake Belton got some further help from Gavin Owens: he made 20 total tackles.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Lake Belton, racking up 11 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Christian Onchweri, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Highland Park pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.0 points over those games. As for Lake Belton, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Highland Park has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 317.6 passing yards per game. Lake Belton, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 174.1 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
