The Taft Tigers will take on the Newport Cubs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Taft has three straight wins, Newport has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Taft's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Amity, posting a 35-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won four matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
Kol Tolan produced another solid effort rushing for 97 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries, while also throwing for 147 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 passes. Taft's leading receiver Corban Smith was Tolan's top target yet again, picking up 102 receiving yards and one score.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Taft was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 231 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 213 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Newport's offense. They were dealt a 49-0 defeat at the hands of Scio on Friday.
Newport's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Taft, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 5-2.
Everything came up roses for Taft against Newport in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 52-12 victory. In that game, the Tigers amassed a halftime lead of 50-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
