Football Preview: Richland Royals vs. Arlington Heights Yellowjackets
Two dominant signal callers in Drew Kates and Kaeden Grant are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Richland Royals will face off against the Arlington Heights Yellowjackets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Richland knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Arlington Heights likes a good challenge.
Richland took a loss when they played away from home back in October, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 58-28 victory over Azle. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by 20 points or more this season.
Kates was his usual excellent self, throwing for 412 yards and six touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Xavier Johnson did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 84 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Arlington Heights entered their tilt with Paschal on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They managed a 28-23 win over the Panthers.
Arlington Heights found their leader in sophomore Carson James, who rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. James' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 133 rushing yards. Grant was in the mix too, providing Arlington Heights with two touchdowns.
Arlington Heights was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 273 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 258 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Richland's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.8 points per game. As for Arlington Heights, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Richland has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 302.8 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Arlington Heights, though, as they've been averaging only 154.9. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
