The Rider Raiders will take on the Emerson Mavericks at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
With a playoff game on the line, Rider rose to the challenge on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-20 victory over Lake Dallas at home. The victory was nothing new for Rider as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Kenji Johnson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 70 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, while Emerson put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Canutillo. Emerson simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Canutillo 44-0 on the road. Given Emerson's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 104th, while Canutillo is ranked 374th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Michael Hawkins, who rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries, and also threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes. Hawkins really tore up the turf during one magnificent 95-yard run.
Rider pushed their record up to 10-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 33.33 points. As for Emerson, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 10-2.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Rider has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 257.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Emerson struggles in that department as they've been even better at 289.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
