Football Preview: Jefferson Panthers vs. Thompson Falls Blue Hawks
The Jefferson Panthers will head out to square off against the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Jefferson focused on turnovers this week as team gave up four on Friday.
Jefferson is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Malta/Whitewater/Saco/Dodson, who was ranked 21st in their home state at the time (Jefferson was ranked 25th). Jefferson received a blow as they fell 31-17 to Malta/Whitewater/Saco/Dodson. The loss was the Panthers' first of the season.
Despite the defeat, Jefferson got top-tier performance from Luke Oxarart, who rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Oxarart a new career-high in rushing yards.
Even though they lost, Jefferson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 223 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Even if they lost, Jefferson's defensive line still kept up the pressure with five sacks. Brady Armstrong was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up 4.5himself. He is on a roll when it comes to sacks, as he's now sacked two or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Thompson Falls came up short against Manhattan on Friday, falling 38-16. The Blue Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Having lost for the first time this season, Jefferson fell to 2-1. As for Thompson Falls, they now have a losing record at 1-2.
Everything came up roses for Jefferson against Thompson Falls when the teams last played back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 42-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jefferson since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
