The Langston Hughes Panthers will take on the Milton Eagles in a holiday battle at at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Langston Hughes is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup last Friday. They blew past Coffee 49-26. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on 11 straight.
| 12/06/24 vs Coffee | 2 |
| 08/23/24 vs Mays | 2 |
| 09/02/23 vs Butler | 2 |
| 11/29/24 vs Thomas County Central | 1 |
| 11/15/24 vs Dunwoody | 1 |
Jabari Jones was nothing short of spectacular: he picked up 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. That's the most receiving touchdowns he has posted since back in August. Langston Hughes also got a significant boost from Carsyn Baker, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 107 yards.
Another reason for the win was Langston Hughes' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Kijohn Braxton with two. He has been hot, having also posted five or more total tackles the last five times he's played. Keith Bass was another major factor on D, making 14 total tackles and snagged an interception.
Meanwhile, Milton and Lee County (ranked second and 27th in the MaxPreps national rankings respectively) squared off in a high-profile matchup last Friday. Milton breezed by Lee County to the tune of 56-28. 56 seems to be a good number for the Eagles as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Langston Hughes better keep an eye on Luke Nickel. He was instrumental in Milton's win, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns on only 19 passes, while also rushing for 92 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Another player making a difference was TJ Lester, who rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.0 yards per carry.
Milton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 287 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 156 rushing yards in nine consecutive contests.
Milton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ty Redmond and Ma'Khi Jones-Purnell. Jones-Purnell also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 11. Milton got some further help from Hayden Tumminia: he made 14 total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Milton pushed their record up to 14-0 with the win, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.6 points per game. As for Langston Hughes, their victory bumped their record up to 13-1.
Tuesday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Langston Hughes has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Milton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 177.6 rushing yards. It's looking like Tuesday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Langston Hughes couldn't quite finish off Milton in their previous matchup back in November of 2014 and fell 17-14. Can Langston Hughes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
