The Joplin Eagles will face off against the Republic Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Joplin took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Glendale 45-21. That 24 point margin sets a new team best for the Eagles this season.
Toryn Jones was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Davin Thomas, who gained 104 total yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Joplin's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Glendale's QB won't forget Josiah Hazlewood anytime soon given he sacked him 2.5 times. With that strong performance, Hazlewood is now averaging an impressive 5.5 total tackles per game. Another thorn in Glendale's side was Jariah Clark, who made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Joplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Republic waltzed into their game on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They claimed a resounding 49-17 victory over the Chiefs at home. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won three matches by 26 points or more so far this season.
Preston McCracken continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 134 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Izaiah Hull was another key player, rushing for 137 yards on only ten carries.
Joplin's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Republic, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Joplin has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Republic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 297.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Joplin suffered a grim 38-15 defeat to Republic in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Will Joplin have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
