Two dominant backs in Ty Cummings and Reante Byrd are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The West Laurens Raiders will welcome the Hephzibah Rebels at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. West Laurens is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
On Friday, West Laurens strolled past Academy of Richmond County with points to spare, taking the game 21-7. Those 21 points were actually the fewest the Raiders have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Meanwhile, Hephzibah didn't have quite enough to beat Baldwin on Friday and fell 27-25. The Rebels haven't had much luck with the Braves recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
West Laurens will need to focus on slowing down Dextavion Reese, one of several Hephzibah players who made an impact when they last played. He picked up 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 70 yards. Hephzibah also got a significant boost from Tarvaris Josey, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 94 yards.
Hephzibah's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for West Laurens, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. West Laurens has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 327.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hephzibah struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 214 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for West Laurens against Hephzibah in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 56-28 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Byrd, who rushed for 204 yards and three TDs while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Raiders still be able to contain Byrd? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
