Football Game Preview: Hernando Tigers vs. DeSoto Central Jaguars + Official Tickets

The Hernando Tigers will challenge the DeSoto Central Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 924 yards in their previous games.

Hernando is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. Everything went their way against Lewisburg on Friday as they made off with a 52-31 victory. With the Tigers ahead 35-10 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Hernando's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Asher Lawson led the charge by rushing for 64 yards and one touchdown, while also throwing for 203 yards on only 19 passes. Jack Wilkey was another key player, rushing for 67 yards and one TD.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hernando was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 282 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, DeSoto Central hadn't done well against Southaven recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Jaguars walked away with a 28-21 win over the Chargers.

Hernando better keep an eye on Cade Rodgers. He was instrumental in DeSoto Central's win, rushing for 288 yards and three scores. Rodgers is becoming a predictor of the Jaguars' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Eric Perry, who rushed for 105 yards on only nine carries.

DeSoto Central has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 41.0 points over those games. As for Hernando, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.

Hernando was dealt a bruising 34-0 defeat at the hands of DeSoto Central in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.