The East Butler Tigers will square off against the Shelby-Rising City Huskies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
East Butler gave up the first points last Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They took down McCool Junction 30-14. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Rocco Hageman was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
East Butler was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as McCool Junction only rushed for 136.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Shelby-Rising City at home against Heartland on Friday as the squad secured a 60-8 win. The matchup marked Shelby-Rising City's most dominant victory of the season so far.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Jett Vrbka and he. Vrbka rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown while he rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown. Carter Eickmeier showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 51 yards. Another big playmaker for Shelby-Rising City was Logan Lindsley, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Shelby-Rising City's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Vrbka, Dalton Pokorney, and Pokorney picked up one apiece. Eli Fjell is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Heartland's side was Collin Vrbka, who picked up a sack and made 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
East Butler's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Shelby-Rising City, their victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. East Butler has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Shelby-Rising City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 179.8. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
East Butler was dealt a bruising 61-8 defeat at the hands of Shelby-Rising City when the teams last played back in October of 2021. Can East Butler avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
