Harlan won against Stevens last Friday with 49 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Thursday. The Harlan Hawks breezed by the Taft Raiders to the tune of 49-7. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 26 points or more this season.
Leading Harlan to victory were Givori Graham and Payton Matthews. Graham rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, while Matthews gained 81 total yards and two touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards Graham has posted since back in October of 2023.
Harlan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 275 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
One reason for the win was Harlan's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Maddox Berantuo was especially locked on to Taft's QB and sacked him twice.
Harlan's win was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. As for Taft, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Harlan will square off against Warren at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Harlan's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five games. As for Taft, they will face off against Brennan at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Brennan will roll in looking for their seventh straight victory, something Taft surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
