Football Game Preview: Byers Lions vs. Smithville Seminoles + Official Tickets

The Byers Lions will take on the Smithville Seminoles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Smithville took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Byers, who comes in off a win.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Byers and Ashland, and Byers kept the tradition alive. The Lions blew past the Blue Devils 39-0 on Thursday. The Lions pushed the score to 26-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Blue Devils had little chance of recovering from.

Corey Willis Jr.

Passer Rating

10/30/25 vs Ashland	164.3
10/09/25 vs Smithville	156.3
10/17/25 @ Potts Camp	154.4
09/05/25 @ Holly Springs	103.2
08/28/25 vs Byhalia	69.3
+ 2 more games

Byers' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Corey Willis Jr., who threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes. Willis Jr.'s passing game has become a key predictor of the Lions' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 2-3 otherwise. Kesean Lafrance helped Willis Jr. out on the ground, rushing for 110 yards and a pair of scores.

Meanwhile, Smithville fell victim to Tupelo Christian Prep and their airtight defense on Thursday. They were outmatched by the Eagles and fell 41-0. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Seminoles were not able to get on the board.

Byers has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 36.0 points over those games. As for Smithville, their defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 3-7.

Byers didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Smithville in their previous meeting back in October, but they still walked away with a 32-28 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Seminoles' Peyton Cook, who rushed for 86 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 117 yards and one touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Lions still be able to contain Cook? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.