The Hammond Tornadoes will face off against the Ponchatoula Green Wave at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hammond 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 were the clear victors by a 40-20 margin over Salmen. The Tornadoes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 20 points or more this season.
Zalen Bennett
| 10/31/25 vs Salmen | 158 |
| 10/02/25 @ Slidell | 152 |
| 09/12/25 @ Amite | 144 |
| 10/17/25 vs Mandeville | 134 |
| 09/25/25 vs L.W. Higgins | 134 |
| + 4 more games |
It was another big night for Zalen Bennett, who rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry. He has become a key player for Hammond: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. Terin Jones was another key player, throwing for 199 yards and a pair of TDs on only 11 passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hammond was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 246 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September.
Hammond didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Nathaniel Weber and Kevin Tuguta. Tuguta is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last five games he's played. Trion Wise was another major factor on D, picking up 0.5 sacks and making 11 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Ponchatoula and Covington, and Ponchatoula kept the tradition alive. The Green Wave walked away with a 24-14 victory over the Lions on Friday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Green Wave as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Hammond's victory bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Ponchatoula, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 2-7.
Hammond was able to grind out a solid victory over Ponchatoula when the teams last played back in November of 2024, winning 33-25. Will the Tornadoes repeat their success, or do the Green Wave have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
