West Lauderdale hasn't had much luck against Houston recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The West Lauderdale Knights will face off against the Houston Hilltoppers at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with West Lauderdale sitting on eight straight victories and Houston on four.
West Lauderdale is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Ripley 49-28. Considering the Knights have won seven games by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
West Lauderdale can attribute much of their success to K.P PEOPLES, who rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and Travion Mosley, who rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.0 yards per carry. PEOPLES is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last four games he's played.
West Lauderdale was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 274 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 223 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Houston never let their opponents score last Thursday. They blew past South Pontotoc 41-0. Given the Hilltoppers' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Cougars are ranked 190th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Houston's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Takoda Harrell, who threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 passes. Christopher Parker also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Houston's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.9 points per game. As for West Lauderdale, their record now sits at 9-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. West Lauderdale has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 289.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Houston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 191.7. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
West Lauderdale suffered a grim 42-21 defeat to Houston in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. Can West Lauderdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
