Who’s Going to Win Tonight’s Showdown Between Hemphill vs Newton?

Friday night will mark the 9th straight year that Hemphill has faced off against the mighty Newton Eagles in a district football game. In the last eight meetings, the Eagles have won these showdowns convincingly. In fact, the closest game between the two happened last year when Newton won 52-22. Over their last 8 meetings, the average margin of victory has been 46+ points.

Will This Year Finally Be The One For Hemphill?

The Hornets have been decimating their opponents this year. Hemphill has been beating their opponents on average by 47 points on their way to a perfect 6-0 mark. But, will the Hornets have what it takes Friday night when they host the Number 3 team in the state in Class 3A - Division II?

Let's make the arguments for both sides --

Why Hemphill Will Lose the Game Against Newton

• Newton is 5-1, Hemphill is 6-0. However, the Eagles' strength of schedule has been much more difficult. Hemphill's opponents so far this season have a combined record of 6-27. Meanwhile, Newton's opponents have an overall 21-15 mark. Plus, Newton just destroyed a decent Anderson-Shiro team by 69 points.
• History...someone told me that Hemphill has never beaten Newton in football. I'm not sure if that's true, but the Eagles have dominated the Hornets over the past decade. Yeah, that's in the past and this Friday is a brand-new game, but those memories could be a psychological advantage for Newton.

Why Hemphill Will Win the Game Against Newton

• Home field advantage. When the Hemphill players look around and see the multitude of loud, screaming fans wearing green, that will give them a huge boost. Newton travels well, and I'm sure there will be plenty of purple to go around as well. But, especially in close games, playing on your home field can sometimes make the difference.
• History...yeah, I used that same reason as to why Newton would win, but you could also spin that around 180 degrees and use it as a rallying cry that enough is enough, and that this is finally the year a Hemphill victory happens.

What's My Prediction?

I'll start with an easy prediction...both of these teams will be heading to the playoffs at the end of district play.  Newton and Hemphill could make deep runs in the playoffs and may even face off again.

I'm rooting for Hemphill...not because I have anything against Newton, but because I'd like to see Hemphill break up this string of dominance. However, when crunching numbers and analyzing everything, I think Newton comes away with a victory in a high-scoring game.

Newton 48, Hemphill 34.

Friday Night Frenzy

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