Football Preview: Melba Mustangs vs. New Plymouth Pilgrims
Melba is 8-2 against New Plymouth since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Melba Mustangs will head out to challenge the New Plymouth Pilgrims at 7:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Melba is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 42 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Marsing on Friday. They came up short against the Huskies, falling 35-12. The Mustangs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 27-6.
Meanwhile, New Plymouth was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 30-20 to Nampa Christian.
Despite the defeat, New Plymouth got top-tier performance from Troy Swain, who picked up 165 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Swain showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 55 yards.
Even if they lost, New Plymouth's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Wes Troke and Payton Zigga, who racked up all four sacks between them. Zigga is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last 16 games he's played dating back to last season.
Melba's loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-5. As for New Plymouth, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
Everything came up roses for Melba against New Plymouth when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 58-8 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Melba since the team 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
