Football Preview: Quitman Panthers vs. Mendenhall Tigers
A feisty cat fight will be fought when Panthers challenges the Mendenhall Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Quitman was just a hair shy of victory and fell 34-33 to Northeast Jones.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Akylin Dear, who rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.6 yards per carry, and also threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 144 rushing yards dating back to last season. Jaleil Cameron was another key player, gaining 166 total yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mendenhall). They had just enough and edged Morton out 32-29.
A big part of Mendenhall's win came down to the chemistry between Ty Davis and his top target Henry Funchess. Davis threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes while Funchess picked up 125 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Funchess is becoming a predictor of Mendenhall's success: when he posts at least 80 receiving yards the team is 2-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Quitman's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Mendenhall, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-3.
Quitman strolled past Mendenhall when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a score of 54-35. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mendenhall's Marcus Allen, who picked up 177 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Quitman to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
