Football Preview: Haywood Tomcats vs. Maplewood Panthers
The Haywood Tomcats have the luxury of staying home for another week and will welcome the Maplewood Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Last Friday, Haywood blew past Obion County, posting a 43-13 victory at home. Considering the Tomcats have won four games by more than 29 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Haywood got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kemonte Williams out in front who rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Another passer making a difference was Carson Graves, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only five passes.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maplewood). They blew past Glencliff 54-0 at home on Friday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Panthers needed considering they were shutout in their previous match.
Maplewood found their leader in underclassman Jayon Washington, who rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 99 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. The dominant performance gave Washington a new career-high in rushing yards. Christian Beatie was another key back, rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Maplewood's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Antonio Batey. Another thorn in Glencliff's side was Jaylan Strong, who picked up 0.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and forced a fumble.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Maplewood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Haywood pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Maplewood, their win bumped their record up to 2-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Haywood has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 358.2 total yards per game. It's a different story for Maplewood, though, as they've been averaging only 198.4. Will Haywood be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Maplewood flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Haywood against Maplewood in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 42-0 victory. Does Haywood have another victory up their sleeve, or will Maplewood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
