The Joplin Eagles will challenge the Republic Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Joplin took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They put the hurt on Glendale with a sharp 45-21 victory. That 24 point margin sets a new team best for the Eagles this season.
Toryn Jones had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Davin Thomas was another key player, gaining 104 total yards and a touchdown.
Joplin's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Leading the way was Josiah Hazlewood with 2.5 sacks. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.5 total tackles per game. Joplin got some further help from Jariah Clark: he made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Joplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Republic entered their tilt with Kickapoo on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Chiefs, posting a 49-17 win at home. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 26 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Preston McCracken, who rushed for 134 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Izaiah Hull, who rushed for 137 yards on only ten carries.
Joplin's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Republic, their win bumped their record up to an identical 3-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Joplin has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Republic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 297.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Joplin suffered a grim 38-15 defeat to Republic in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Will Joplin have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
