Football Recap: Elmore County Falls Despite Big Games from Tate Mcneely and Tyler Payton

Elmore County was the 20-14 winner over Valley when they last played one another back in October of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Panthers fell just short of the Rams by a score of 20-17 on Friday. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Elmore County's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Tyler Payton, who gained 121 total yards and a touchdown, and Tate McNeely, who picked up 94 receiving yards and one score. Payton also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making five total tackles and defending one pass in addition to snagging two interceptions.

Elmore County didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Payton and Connor Pike.

The critical scores for Valley came from Malachi McCullough and CJ Johnson.

Elmore County suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 4-3. As for Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season.

We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Elmore County is set to take on their familiar foe Marbury at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Valley will challenge rival Holtville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.