Football Preview: Tatum Coyotes vs. Melrose Buffaloes
The Tatum Coyotes will square off against the Melrose Buffaloes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Tatum is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Mescalero Apache, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Tatum was ranked 12th). Tatum simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Mescalero Apache 46-13 on the road. The high-scoring effort was just what the Coyotes needed considering they were shutout in their previous matchup.
Meanwhile, Melrose put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They beat Lordsburg by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 52-0.
Brayden Eldridge was his usual excellent self, rushing for 53 yards and two touchdowns, while also picking up 51 receiving yards and a touchdown. Josiah Roybal was another key player, throwing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only nine passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Melrose was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in August.
Melrose didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jaxon Odom, Josh Roybal, and Spencer Eldridge picked up one apiece.
Tatum's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-4. As for Melrose, their win bumped their record up to 9-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Tatum has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 221.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Melrose struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tatum was dealt a bruising 50-0 loss at the hands of Melrose in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will Tatum have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
