The Harlan Hawks will take on the Vandegrift Vipers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Harlan comes in on ten and Vandegrift on 11.
Harlan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Canyon , sneaking past 39-36. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 89th, while the Cougars are ranked 235th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Harlan's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Payton Matthews led the charge by rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown. Another back making a difference was Givori Graham, who rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Harlan's defensive line stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. It was truly a group effort as Maddox Berantuo, Alexander Ciccarello, and Craig Sanders picked up two apiece. With that strong performance, Sanders is now averaging an impressive 5.7 total tackles per game.
Meanwhile, Vandegrift has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 13.23 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They took down Steele 49-35.
Harlan's win bumped their record up to 12-1. As for Vandegrift, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 12-1.
Harlan was taken down by Vandegrift 49-21 in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Harlan 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
