The Tyler Lions will host the Red Oak Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tyler is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 30.3 points per game this season.
Two weeks ago, Tyler ended up a good deal behind Midlothian and lost 42-28. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 219th, while the Panthers are ranked 90th).
Despite the loss, Tyler saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Cadarius Mcmiller rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries. Ashton Arriaga handled things on the ground, rushing for 94 yards.
Mcmiller was just one part of a punishing run game: Tyler was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 202 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 202 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Red Oak unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell to Midlothian 45-41. While the Hawks had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Panthers 14-7.
Despite the defeat, Red Oak got top-tier performance from Billy Middleton, who rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, and also threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77.4% of his passes. The dominant performance gave Middleton a new career-high in rushing yards. Brayden Robinson was Middleton's top target, picking up 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Red Oak wouldn't let Midlothian keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Red Oak can thank Timothy Abraham and Desmond Cox for forcing both of them. Abraham has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last three times he's played.
Tyler now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Red Oak, their record now sits at 5-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Tyler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Red Oak struggles in that department as they've been averaging 221.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
