Football Game Preview: Anselmo-Merna Coyotes vs. Palmer Tigers

The Anselmo-Merna Coyotes will square off against the Palmer Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Anselmo-Merna has three straight victories, Palmer has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Anselmo-Merna will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Twin Loup, who they had gone 0-7 against in their seven prior meetings. The Coyotes enjoyed a cozy 46-27 win over the Wolves on Friday.

Dane Duryea had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 295 yards and three TDs while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 58 yards.

Anselmo-Merna's run defense was locked in: Twin Loup could only muster 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Drake Doss for the heroic effort on defense: he. Anselmo-Merna's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.53 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.73 on average over their last five games.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Palmer duked it out with Central Valley on Friday. The Tigers took a blow against the Cougars, falling 52-6. The matchup marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Palmer's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Anselmo-Merna, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Anselmo-Merna has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 250.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Palmer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 160.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Anselmo-Merna might still be hurting after the 48-22 defeat they got from Palmer in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Will the Coyotes have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.