The Hoxie Indians will square off against the LaCrosse Leopards at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hoxie entered their tilt with Bennington with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Hoxie blew past Bennington 52-0 at home. Hoxie's offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Hoxie relied on the efforts of Braydon Scheetz, who gained 94 total yards and three touchdowns, and Duncan Bell, who threw for 75 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
LaCrosse fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back victories it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They took their contest at home last Thursday with ease, bagging a 60-30 victory over Sublette. With LaCrosse ahead 34-12 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
LaCrosse got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Caden Morgan out in front who rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 194 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes. Lee Frederic Holopirek was another key contributor, picking up 117 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was LaCrosse's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Gage Burk and Conner Barriger who racked up four sacks between them.
Hoxie's victory was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 8-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.0 points per game. As for LaCrosse, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Hoxie has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like LaCrosse struggles in that department as they've been averaging 164.8 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Hoxie against LaCrosse when the teams last played back in September of 2021 as the squad secured a 64-28 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hoxie since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
