The Fossil Ridge Panthers will square off against the Aledo Bearcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row dating back to last season, Fossil Ridge finally turned things around against Granbury on Friday. They strolled past the Pirates with points to spare, taking the game 31-16. The Panthers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Malaki Lockhart went supernova for Fossil Ridge, rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, while also throwing for 108 yards on 13 of 25 attempts. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 51 yards. Draylon Galloway Jr. handled things on the ground, rushing for 80 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Fossil Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Aledo had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 37 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They claimed a resounding 56-0 victory over the Hawks at home. Given the Bearcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Hawks are ranked 381st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Aledo's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Raycine Guillory Jr led the charge by rushing for 87 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Guillory Jr now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Gavin Beard was another key player, throwing for 195 yards and three touchdowns while completing 92.9% of his passes.
Aledo's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Cooper Cyphers was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up 2.5 sackshimself.
Fossil Ridge's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Aledo, they pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Thursday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Fossil Ridge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 155 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Aledo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 211.2. It's looking like Thursday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
