Noxubee County will head out to challenge Winona at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Noxubee County comes in on six and Winona on seven.
Noxubee County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They pulled ahead with a 34-33 photo finish over Choctaw County.
Noxubee County found their leader in sophomore Christon Glenn, who picked up 130 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Winona's strategy against Aberdeen on Friday. The Tigers put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 42-20 victory. With the Tigers ahead 20-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Noxubee County better keep an eye on Landon Crawford. He was instrumental in Winona's win, rushing for 87 yards and two TDs on only seven carries.
Winona didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Aberdeen to a completion percentage of just 50%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: Jakorrius Harvey, Triston Bledsoe, and Jalon Oliver, who each logged one passes deflected. Winona has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.59 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.59 in their last three games.
Winona's defense also made the game a nightmare for the opposing QB, racking up 7.5 sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Quincy Burt and Navarius Davis, who racked up five sacks between them. Davis has been hot, having also posted five or more total tackles the last six times he's played. Brayden Flowers was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making ten total tackles (1.5 for loss).
Noxubee County's record is now 10-3. As for Winona, their record now sits at 9-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Noxubee County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 196.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Winona struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 240.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Noxubee County came up short against Winona when the teams last played back in October, falling 31-26. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Crawford, who rushed for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. Now that Noxubee County knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
