The Royal Falcons will face off against the Columbia Roughnecks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Royal didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Sweeny, but they still walked away with a 19-13 win. The victory continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won four in a row.
Royal relied on the efforts of Tyler Gilmore, who gained 169 total yards and two touchdowns, and Emory Oliver, who threw for 171 yards and one TD while completing 81.8% of his passes. Gilmore was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 60 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Columbia). They blew past Harmony School of Innovation 71-0 on Friday. Given the Roughnecks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 452nd, while the Wildcats are ranked 1218th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Royal better keep an eye on Cade Thoe. He was instrumental in Columbia's win, throwing for 210 yards and four touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Williams, who rushed for 32 yards and three scores.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Columbia, racking up 15 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Luke Breazeale, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Columbia's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. Easton Danford was especially locked on to Harmony School of Innovation's QB and sacked him twice.
The win got Columbia back to even at 3-3. As for Royal, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
Royal came up short against Columbia when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 21-13. Will the Falcons have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
