Two dominant signal callers in King White and Drew Dean are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Germantown Mavericks will venture away from home to square off against the Oxford Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Germantown's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five games.
Germantown is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Mississippi's top teams: Starkville, who was ranked fifth at the time (Germantown was ranked 14th). The Mavericks took down the Yellowjackets 45-28 on Friday.
Germantown's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lawson Branson, who picked up 171 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Branson was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 57 yards. Keyshaun Coleman also helped out as he racked up 160 receiving yards.
Germantown didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Starkville to a completion percentage of just 43.8%. The Mavericks weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 75%.
Special teams also played a big role in the game for Germantown, adding 15 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Coleman, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Oxford hadn't beaten Madison Central on the road since September 2, 2016 but that history sure didn't bother them last Friday. The Chargers narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Jaguars 16-14. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Chargers.
Oxford found their leader in sophomore Demar Jamerson, who rushed for 102 yards and two scores. Kevin Smith did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 82 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Oxford's defense and their 3.5 sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Wesley Gaia and Zyeer Pegues, who each picked up one sack apiece. Gaia was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Germantown's record now sits at 4-2. As for Oxford, their record is now 5-1.
Germantown was able to grind out a solid victory over Oxford in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, winning 43-34. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Dean, who rushed for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only seven carries, and also threw for 202 yards and one TD on only 19 passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Mavericks still be able to contain Dean? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
