The Bartlett Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Collierville Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bartlett proved they can win big two weeks ago (they won by 35) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Houston 17-14. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Panthers were the better team in the second half.
Bartlett got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Patrick Sadler out in front who threw for 124 yards and one TD on only six passes, and also rushed for 47 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Collierville). They blew past Arlington 58-0 on Friday. The Dragons haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Collierville's win came from a few key players Bartlett will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Emanuel Palmer, who picked up 77 receiving yards and three scores. Another passer making a difference was Brayden Sanitbanez, who threw for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Collierville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 214 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 209 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
Collierville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Joshua Gale and Shaw London.
Bartlett's record now sits at 2-3. As for Collierville, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Bartlett has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 169.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Collierville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 226.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Bartlett came up short against Collierville in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, falling 29-19. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
