Football Game Preview: Judson Rockets vs. Steele Knights

Two dominant backs in Kayden Graham and Jonathan Hatton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Judson Rockets are taking a road trip to take on the Steele Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Friday, Judson needed a bit of extra time to put away East Central. They walked away with a 34-27 victory over the Hornets. The Rockets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Marcel Smith

Total Tackles

09/26/25 vs East Central	11
09/18/25 vs Bowie	10
09/12/25 @ SA Roosevelt	6
09/05/25 @ Hutto	5
08/28/25 vs Johnson	15
+ 3 more games

Judson didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Marcel Smith. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last eight games he's played dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, while Steele put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for East Central. The Knights took their game with ease, bagging a 49-0 win over the Hornets. Considering the Knights have won four contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

A big part of Steele's victory came down to the chemistry between DJ Green and his top target Micah Sheeler. Green threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes while Sheeler picked up 122 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Sheeler showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 55 yards. Marshall Kenner was in the mix too, providing Steele with two scores.

Steele was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.

The win made it two in a row for Steele and bumps their season record up to 5-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.5 points over those games. As for Judson, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 2-3.

Judson was taken down by Steele 56-3 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Rockets were down 28-3.