The Emerson Mavericks are on the road again on Friday and play against the Rider Raiders at 2:00 p.m. on November 24th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Emerson had no problem doing just that on Friday. They claimed a resounding 44-0 win over Canutillo 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.
Michael Hawkins was his usual excellent self, rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries, while also throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes. Hawkins' longest rush was for an incredible 95 yards.
Meanwhile, Rider had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32.7 points), and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. They really took it to Lake Dallas for the full four quarters, racking up a 49-20 win at home. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 25-0.
It was another big night for Kenji Johnson, who rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry, and also picked up 70 receiving yards.
Emerson's win bumped their record up to 10-2. As for Rider, they have yet to lose a contest at home this season, leaving them with a 10-2 record.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as both teams haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Emerson commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 7.7 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Rider struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
