vs
| 10/11/24 - Home | 35-14 W |
| 10/20/23 - Away | 56-24 W |
| 10/21/22 - Home | 68-43 W |
| 10/22/21 - Home | 63-0 W |
| 10/23/20 - Away | 48-0 W |
| + 2 more games |
Joplin has gone a perfect 7-0 against Neosho recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Eagles will challenge the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. That contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Traevian McCadney and Keisean Rhone.
Joplin is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Carthage on Friday. The Eagles took a 28-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Trenton McCadney put forth a good effort for the losing side as he picked up 202 receiving yards and one TD.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Neosho took on Willard on Friday. The Wildcats breezed past the Tigers to the tune of 55-27. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by 22 points or more this season.
Neosho's win came from a few key players Joplin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Blayne Patterson, who threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and one score on only ten carries. Haven Plummer did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 78 receiving yards.
Neosho was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 217 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
One reason for the win was Neosho's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Jaxon Ertel was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three himself. Nate Winkler was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making ten total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Neosho pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points over those games. As for Joplin, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Joplin has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 203.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Neosho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 334.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Joplin's way against Neosho when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as Joplin made off with a 35-14 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
