Sacred Heart has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will venture away from home to square off against the Richton Rebels at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sacred Heart knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Richton likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Sacred Heart made easy work of North Panola and carried off a 42-22 victory. Fans of the Crusaders have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
A big part of Sacred Heart's win came down to the chemistry between Kyron Murphy and his top target Gary Duckworth. Murphy threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes while Duckworth picked up 177 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Duckworth's longest reception was for an impressive 60 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Sacred Heart was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 204 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 188 rushing yards in six consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 38-6, which was the final score in Richton's tilt against Loyd Star on Friday.
Despite the defeat, Richton got top-tier performance from O.J. Reed, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Sacred Heart's victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for Richton, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Sacred Heart has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 219.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Richton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 182.5. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Sacred Heart strolled past Richton in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a score of 17-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sacred Heart since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
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