Football Preview: Oxford Yellow Jackets vs. Fort Payne Wildcats
Oxford has won seven straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Fort Payne has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Oxford Yellow Jackets will host the Fort Payne Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Oxford is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Hartselle with a sharp 34-14 victory. Considering the Yellow Jackets have won eight matchups by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Mason Mims was his usual excellent self, throwing for 257 yards and five touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Jay'Lin Taylor was Mims' top target, picking up 80 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Oxford didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Taylor, Jiyez Fleming, Damious Wilson, and Cedric Twyman picked up one apiece. Fleming has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Another thorn in Hartselle's side was Deshaun Trammell, who picked up a sack and made 13 total tackles.
Meanwhile, Fort Payne narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Homewood 35-32.
Fort Payne got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Dax Varnadore out in front who threw for 277 yards and a touchdown. Carter Blalock helped Varnadore out on the ground, rushing for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Fort Payne's win bumped their record up to 10-2. As for Oxford, their victory bumped their record up to 12-0.
Everything came up roses for Oxford against Fort Payne in their previous meeting back in October of 2021, as the team secured a 41-13 win. In that game, Oxford amassed a halftime lead of 28-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
