The Joplin Eagles will square 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 two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 45-21 margin over Glendale. The matchup marked the Eagles' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Toryn Jones went supernova for Joplin, rushing for 202 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Jones a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Davin Thomas, who gained 104 total yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Joplin's defense and their five sacks. Leading the way was Josiah Hazlewood with 2.5. With that strong performance, he 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 match on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed by the Chiefs at home to the tune of 49-17. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won three games by 26 points or more so far this season.
Preston McCracken was his usual excellent self, rushing for 134 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Izaiah Hull, who rushed 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 contest 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 matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Joplin might still be hurting after the 38-15 loss they got from Republic in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Will Joplin have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
