Football Game Preview: Irvin Rockets vs. Austin Panthers

Irvin is 2-7 against Austin since September of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Rockets will take on the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.

Austin will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Irvin extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Rockets took their contest with ease, bagging a 42-6 win over Mountain View. The Rockets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 30 points or more this season.

Michael Salazar

Receiving Touchdowns (Career)

10/10/25 vs Mountain View	4
09/05/25 @ Bel Air	3
10/04/24 vs San Elizario	3
10/03/25 @ San Elizario	2
09/26/25 vs Bowie	2

A big part of Irvin's victory came down to the chemistry between Dallas Medina and his top target Michael Salazar. Medina threw for 285 yards and five TDs while completing 80% of his passes while Salazar picked up 128 receiving yards and four scores. Those four receiving touchdowns gave Salazar a new career-high.

Meanwhile, the third road matchup was the charm for Austin, as they earned their first away win of the season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Clint 35-7. 35 seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.

The win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 4-2. As for Irvin, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Irvin has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Austin struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 362.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Irvin ended up a good deal behind Austin in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 31-14. Can the Rockets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.