The Smith-Cotton Tigers will be playing at home against the Helias Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Smith-Cotton is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 48-21, which was the final score in Smith-Cotton's tilt against Capital City two Fridays ago. Smith-Cotton was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 41-6.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Mylan Hawkins and Jaylan Thomas. Thomas had a great game and rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.2 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Hawkins was balling out in the loss, picking up 179 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground.
Meanwhile, Helias had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 24-6 win over Jefferson City. Given Helias' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Jefferson City is ranked 60th), the result wasn't exactly an upset.
Smith-Cotton has traveled a rocky road this season, as they've lost six of their first seven contests, which gives them a 1-6 record this season. Helias has been no stranger to the win column this season, as they've started out with wins in six of their first seven games, giving them a 6-1 record.
Smith-Cotton suffered a grim 45-21 defeat to Helias in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. Will Smith-Cotton have more luck at home instead of on the road?
