The Henley Hornets will host the Estacada Rangers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Henley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-13 victory over Seaside. With the Hornets ahead 28-7 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Joseph Janney produced another solid effort throwing for 214 yards and three TDs on only 16 passes, while also punching in one score on the ground. Conner Shively was in the mix too, providing Henley with two touchdowns.
Henley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off seven passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Jacob Bocchi.
Meanwhile, after only six points in their last contest, Estacada made sure to put some points up on the board against Marist on Friday. The Rangers put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 42-22 win. The result was nothing new for the Rangers, who have now won five matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Henley better keep an eye on Blake Barger. He was instrumental in Estacada's win, rushing for 166 yards and three TDs. Barger also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, making four total tackles, and defending one pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown.
Estacada was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 333 rushing yards. They are 6-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Estacada has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 33.3 points over those games. As for Henley, their record is now 7-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Henley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 223.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Estacada struggles in that department as they've been averaging 259.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Henley and Estacada were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, but Henley came up empty-handed after a 17-16 defeat. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
