Football Recap: McIntosh Takes a Loss + How To Watch

McIntosh had lost four straight at home dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped down to 2-5 to make it five. They took a blow against the Langston Hughes Panthers, falling 68-13. While losing is never fun, the Chiefs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Panthers are ranked fifth).

Elijah Strader

Passer Rating

08/15/25 @ Fayette County	161.2
09/12/25 @ Morrow	116.5
10/03/25 vs Langston Hughes	116.4
09/26/25 vs Northgate	73.1
08/22/25 @ Sandy Creek	72.4
+ 2 more games

Several Chiefs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Elijah Strader, who threw for 308 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes. Strader's passing game has become a key predictor of McIntosh's success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-4 otherwise. A healthy portion of Strader's aerial production (90 yards to be exact) went to Skip Smith, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

McIntosh didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Brandan Ridley and Smith.

As for Langston Hughes, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 7-0. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 47.3 points this season.

It was another big night for Darnell Kelly, who threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns on only ten passes, and also rushed for 63 yards and one score. His longest rush was for an impressive 63 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Jamarion McKinney also helped out as he racked up 106 receiving yards.

Coming up, McIntosh will venture away from home to challenge Banneker at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Chiefs will be up against the Trojans' rather soft defense (which has allowed 32.86 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Langston Hughes, they will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Northgate at 7:30 p.m. on the 17th. The Vikings' defense has only allowed 11 points per game this season, so the Panthers' offense will have their work cut out for them.