The Hooks Hornets will head out on the road to square off against the New Boston Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hooks knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully New Boston likes a good challenge.
Hooks is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Daingerfield just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a hard 76-59 fall against the Tigers. While the Hornets had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Tigers 12-6.
The losing side was boosted by Ripken Birdwell, who threw for 110 yards and two TDs, and also rushed for 30 yards and one score. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble and making eight total tackles.
Meanwhile, after only ten points in their last contest, New Boston made sure to put some points up on the board against Queen City on Friday. The Lions blew past the Bulldogs, posting a 70-8 victory. Considering the Lions have won four matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hooks better keep an eye on Javonte Giddens. He was instrumental in New Boston's win, rushing for 139 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries. Giddens' longest rush was for an impressive 50 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. New Boston also got help from Kason Campbell, who showed off his sure hands for 134 receiving yards.
New Boston was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 207 rushing yards. They are a perfect 4-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
New Boston didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Campbell picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
New Boston has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.6 points on average over those games. As for Hooks, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-3.
Hooks came up short against New Boston when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 41-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Lions' Ashton Rowden, who rushed for 281 yards and three TDs while picking up 11.2 yards per carry. Now that the Hornets know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
