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 was beaten by Sotomayor 51-16. Despite 159 more yards than the WILDCATS, the Panthers couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
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, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 51-14, which was the final score in Harlan's tilt against Brennan last Thursday. The loss was the Hawks' first of the season.
Despite the defeat, Harlan got top-tier performance from Payton Matthews, who 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 took a serious blow against Harlan in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, falling 49-12. 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
