Two dominant signal callers in Noah Smith and Noah Wald are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Blanchard Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Weatherford Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Friday, Blanchard took their matchup with ease, bagging a 38-7 victory over Chickasha. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
Blanchard found their leader in sophomore Smith, who rushed for 62 yards and two TDs on only six carries, and also threw for 195 yards on 14 of 20 attempts.
Blanchard didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Camden Hall and Derrick Palmer.
Meanwhile, Weatherford made easy work of Bridge Creek on Friday and carried off a 47-25 win. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 33-0.
Weatherford's win came from a few key players Blanchard will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ty Short, who rushed for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ky Warner was in the mix as well, providing Weatherford with one score.
Weatherford's run defense was locked in: Bridge Creek could only muster 1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Kalen Clift for the heroic effort on defense: he. Weatherford's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 3.7.
Weatherford's record now sits at 8-2. As for Blanchard, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Blanchard has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 159.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Weatherford struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 182.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Blanchard came out on top in a nail-biter against Weatherford in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, sneaking past 14-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
