Walnut Grove has won three straight games at home, while Anna has won three straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Wildcats will host the Coyotes at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If Walnut Grove beats Anna with 70 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Wildcats simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Liberty 70-14. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-7.
Hayes Hackney
| 10/09/25 @ Liberty | 164.3 |
| 10/02/25 vs Memorial | 140 |
| 09/26/25 @ Denison | 106.5 |
| 09/12/25 vs Emerson | 116.7 |
| 09/04/25 vs Little Elm | 62.5 |
| + 9 more games |
Walnut Grove can attribute much of their success to Cameron Newton, who gained 149 total yards and three touchdowns, and Hayes Hackney, who threw for 219 yards and five touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes. What's more, Hackney racked up 164.3 passer rating, the most he's had since back in October of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Cam King, who rushed for 47 yards and a pair of scores.
Walnut Grove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 151 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Walnut Grove's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 7.5 times. Tylan Henderson-Powell was especially locked on to Liberty's QB and sacked him three times.
Meanwhile, Anna took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 56-14 win over Emerson. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Coyotes' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Mavericks are ranked 198th).
Anna's win came from a few key players Walnut Grove will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ziondre Williams, who threw for 339 yards and four TDs while completing 82.4% of his passes, and also rushed for 38 yards and one touchdown. Another player making a difference was Michael Kennedy, who picked up 168 receiving yards and three scores.
Anna's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Walnut Grove, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Walnut Grove has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 276.3 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Anna has preferred to attack from the air: they average 281.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Walnut Grove lost to Anna at home by a decisive 55-41 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
