Football Preview: Hoover Cardinals vs. Kearny Komets
The Hoover Cardinals are taking a road trip to challenge the Kearny Komets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Hoover will bounce into Friday's match after beating San Ysidro, who they hadn't topped in three consecutive meetings. Hoover breezed by San Ysidro on the road to the tune of 41-10 last Friday. That 31 point margin sets a new team best for the Cardinals this season.
It was another big night for Sir Autry, who rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 16.4 yards per carry, and also picked up 34 receiving yards. His longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards. Hez Manuel was another key player, throwing for 355 yards and two touchdowns while completing 95% of his passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hoover was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Kearny posted their closest victory since August 24, 2023 on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 50-48 win over Southwest SD. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Komets.
Brodie Stump continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 416 yards and five touchdowns. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. 122 of those passing yards were hauled in by Zeni Reyes.
Kearny's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Zaiden Gravely and Carlos Enriquez.
Hoover now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Kearny, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Hoover has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 197.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Kearny has preferred to attack from the air: they average 342.3 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Hoover beat Kearny 43-36 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Stump, who rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hoover still be able to contain Stump? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
