Preview: Mineola Yellowjackets vs. Commerce Tigers
The Mineola Yellowjackets will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Commerce Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Mineola will be strutting in after a win while Commerce will be coming in after a loss.
Mineola never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Rains last Friday. They snuck past the Wildcats with a 35-30 win.
Colton McMahon and Braydon Alley were among the main playmakers for Mineola as the former gained 134 total yards and three touchdowns and the latter rushed for 248 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.3 yards per carry. Alley was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 50 yards.
Meanwhile, Commerce was beaten by Pottsboro 34-6 on Friday. It was the first time this season that Commerce let down their fans at home.
Mineola's victory was their third straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 4-5. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Rains and 1-8 Bonham (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 25.9% over those games). As for Commerce, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-3 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Mineola has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 239.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Commerce struggles in that department as they've been averaging 239.3 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mineola didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Commerce in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, but they still walked away with a 42-38 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Commerce's Da'shawn Jackson, who rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, and also threw for 45 yards and a touchdown on only three passes. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Mineola to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
