The O'Connor Panthers will face off against the Harlan Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Last Friday, O'Connor took a blow against Sotomayor, falling 51-16. The Panthers gained 212 more yards on the day, but it was the WILDCATS that made the best use of them.
Although O'Connor took the loss, they still got scores from Riley Eason and Brandon Martinez.
Even though they lost, O'Connor was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 288 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Harlan was beaten by Brennan 51-14 on Thursday. The loss was the Hawks' first of the season.
Harlan might have lost, but man, Payton Matthews was a machine: he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries, and also picked up 37 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave Matthews a new career-high in rushing yards.
O'Connor's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Harlan, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. O'Connor has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Harlan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 203.3. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
O'Connor was dealt a bruising 49-12 loss at the hands of Harlan in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for O'Connor, Noah Farris (who threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
