The Odessa Tigers will take on the SelPort Lumberjacks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Odessa has four straight wins, SelPort has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Odessa is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Columbia, posting a 56-0 victory. Fans of the Tigers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Landon McMillan and Aiden Villane were among the main playmakers for Odessa as the former rushed for 136 yards and four TDs on only seven carries and the latter gained 213 total yards and three touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Kolter Watson, who rushed for 49 yards and one score.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Odessa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 396 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 174 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Odessa 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 McMillan.
Meanwhile, SelPort played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 44-14 defeat at the hands of Curlew. The Lumberjacks were down 36-6 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Odessa will have to contain Danny Searson (Northport) as he made an impact in SelPort's last game. He picked up 62 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 31 yards. Searson (Northport) was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 62 yards.
Odessa's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for SelPort, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Odessa has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 323.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like SelPort struggles in that department as they've been averaging 206.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Odessa against SelPort in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, as the squad secured a 52-0 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Lumberjacks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
