The Hooks Hornets will challenge the De Kalb Bears at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, Hooks beat Redwater 52-42. The Hornets pushed the score to 40-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the Dragons cut but never quite recovered from.
Ripken Birdwell was his usual excellent self, throwing for 275 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 73 yards and three touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in November of 2023. Jay Smith was another key player, picking up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Hooks didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Corbin Edwards and Jamarion Jackson. Jackson is becoming a predictor of Hooks' success: when he posts at least one interception the team is 3-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't). Hooks got some further help from Jasper Crain: he forced two fumbles and made 14 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, De Kalb came tearing into Friday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bulldogs 61-14. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 20 points or more this season.
De Kalb's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Hooks, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Everything came up roses for Hooks against De Kalb when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 46-12 victory. Will Hooks repeat their success, or does De Kalb have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
