The Maize South Mavericks will venture away from home to square off against the Goddard Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Maize South is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.
On Friday, Maize South ended up a good deal behind Hutchinson and lost 47-28. The Mavericks were down 40-14 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Maize South's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Stratten Ebers, who picked up 145 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and Reign Illian, who threw for 315 yards and three TDs. Ebers was no stranger to the big play, connecting on a big catch that went for 63 yards.
Meanwhile, Goddard entered their matchup against Salina Central on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The contest between the Lions and the Mustangs didn't end well, with the Lions falling 35-21.
Maize South will need to focus on slowing down Brock Sullivan, one of several Goddard players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 208 yards and two TDs. 135 of those passing yards were hauled in by Bryer Rojas, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Goddard suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 5-3. As for Maize South, their record now sits at 4-4.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Maize South has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 303.4 passing yards per game. Goddard, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 220.6 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Maize South took their victory against Goddard when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 42-21 score. In that matchup, the Mavericks amassed a halftime lead of 28-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
