Allen is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Talihina Golden Tigers at 7:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Allen took a blow against Wynnewood, falling 48-16. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Savages: they've now lost four in a row.
The losing side was boosted by Quinton Box, who threw for 101 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight passes, and also rushed for 98 yards on only 11 carries.
Meanwhile, Talihina put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 46-0 victory over Non Varsity Opponent. Fans of the Golden Tigers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Allen better keep an eye on Landen Griffith. He was instrumental in Talihina's win, rushing for 158 yards and three scores on only 15 carries, while also throwing for 311 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per attempt. Those 311 passing yards gave Griffith a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Noah Lloyd, who picked up 210 receiving yards and three TDs.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Talihina was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 202 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 182 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Talihina didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Griffith. Griffith is also crushing it when it comes to rushing touchdowns: he's punched in at least two every time he's taken the field this season.
Allen now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Talihina, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Allen has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 226.3 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Talihina has preferred to attack from the air: they average 297.7 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Allen ended up a good deal behind Talihina when the teams last played back in September of 2024, losing 27-8. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Griffith, who threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 109 yards and one score on only 14 carries. Now that the Mustangs know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
