Pennington hasn't had much luck against Piedmont recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tigers will welcome the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pennington's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-0 win over Saks. The victory was nothing new for the Tigers as they're now sitting on four straight.
Pennington found their leader in freshman Gibson Posey, who rushed for 137 yards and two scores on only eight carries. Posey also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making five total tackles and defending one pass. Noah McClendon was another key player, gaining 74 total yards and two touchdowns.
Pennington was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. They are a perfect 4-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Pennington's defense and their eight sacks. In that department, Juan Lopez was the leader with three. Pennington got some further help from Ty Morgan: he picked up a sack, forced two fumbles, and made eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Piedmont's strategy against Locust Fork on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Bulldogs blew the Hornets out of the water with a 49-9 final score. With the Bulldogs ahead 36-6 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Pennington better keep an eye on Nick Mixson. He was instrumental in Piedmont's win, rushing for 128 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Rollie Pinto, who rushed for 47 yards and one TD.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Piedmont, adding 13 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Pinto, who ran a punt back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a kickoff return touchdown from him.
Pennington's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Piedmont, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Pennington has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 229.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Piedmont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 254.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Pennington suffered a grim 41-21 defeat to Piedmont in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
