Football Game Preview: Winona Tigers vs. Nettleton Tigers

Winona will venture away from home to take on Nettleton at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Winona has three straight victories, Nettleton has 12 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Winona gave up the first points on Friday, but they didn't give up any more after. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Choctaw County, sneaking past 24-21. The score was all tied up 21-21 at the break, but the Tigers were the (much) better team in the second half.

Landon Crawford was his usual excellent self, rushing for 74 yards and one score.

Crawford was just one part of a punishing run game: Winona was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards in 15 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Fans were treated to a battle of the Tigers on Friday. Nettleton was beaten by Noxubee County 46-13. While losing is never fun, Nettleton can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 236th, while Noxubee County is ranked 36th).

Nettleton's defeat dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Winona, they now have a winning record of 5-4.

Everything came up roses for Winona against Nettleton when the teams last played back in November of 2022, as the squad secured a 43-7 win. In that game, Winona amassed a halftime lead of 29-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.