Lubbock has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge The Rider Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lubbock comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 12 points in their last three games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 61-7, which was the final score in Lubbock's tilt against Cooper on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Lubbock can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 907th, while Cooper is ranked 332nd).
Meanwhile, Rider entered their tilt with Plainview with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Rider took their contest on the road on Friday with ease, bagging a 49-16 victory over Plainview. The result was nothing new for Rider, who have now won seven matches by 20 points or more so far this season.
Rider's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Tyrone Morgan, who picked up 178 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Morgan was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 63 yards. Another player making a difference was Joe Castles, who threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes.
Lubbock's defeat was their eighth straight at home (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 2-7. Sadly, the team can't blame their woes on tough opposition, as that stretch included 2-7 Big Spring and 3-7 Plainview (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 42.7% over those games). As for Rider, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
Lubbock was taken down by Rider 57-0 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Can Lubbock avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
