The West Laurens Raiders will head out to face off against the Aquinas Fightin' Irish at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. West Laurens will come into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
On Friday, West Laurens humbled Hephzibah with a 42-7 victory. With the Raiders ahead 28-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Cason Pollack and Branden Brooks were among the main playmakers for West Laurens as the former threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes and the latter gained 181 total yards. That's the most passing touchdowns Pollack has posted since back in August.
West Laurens was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 248 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 176 rushing yards in 14 consecutive games dating back to last season.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to West Laurens' defense and their four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. They got some further help from Maxx Chafin: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made ten total tackles.
Meanwhile, Aquinas was able to grind out a solid win over Baldwin on Friday, taking the game 27-20.
West Laurens better keep an eye on Jack Rhodes. He was instrumental in Aquinas' win, throwing for 204 yards and a pair of TDs on only 15 passes, while also rushing for 49 yards and one score. Rhodes also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making four total tackles and defending three passes. Christian Kates did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 111 receiving yards.
West Laurens' record now sits at 8-0. As for Aquinas, their record is now 6-2.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. West Laurens has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 383.6 total yards per game. However, it's not like Aquinas struggles in that department as they've been averaging 386.5 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
West Laurens was able to grind out a solid victory over Aquinas in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, winning 48-38. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
