The Hooks Hornets will welcome the Troup Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hooks is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 47-10 win over Lone Oak. Given the Hornets' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 324th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 780th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ripken Birdwell produced another solid performance throwing for 285 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.4 yards per attempt, and also rushing for 35 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hooks was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 361 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 272 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Hooks didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jay Smith and Kaydon Odom. Jasper Crain was another major factor on D, making nine total tackles (6.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, while Troup put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Anderson-Shiro. The Tigers blew past the Fighting Owls 55-0. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Tigers just coasted through the last quarter.
Hooks better keep an eye on Brett Wells. He was instrumental in Troup's win, rushing for 278 yards and four scores on only 15 carries, while also throwing for 166 yards and three touchdowns while completing 86.7% of his passes. Wells' longest rush was for an incredible 93 yards. 91 of Wells' passing yards were hauled in by Cameron Hollie, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Hooks has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.0 points over those games. As for Troup, their record is now 11-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Hooks has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 259.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Troup struggles in that department as they've been averaging 249 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Hooks took their win against Troup when the teams last played back in November of 2022 by a conclusive 34-14 score. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Tigers' Kevin Pierce, who rushed for 65 yards and a pair of TDs, and also picked up 39 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Hornets to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
