Football Game Preview: Melbourne Bearkatz vs. Quitman Bulldogs

Melbourne is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Quitman is on a six-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Bearkatz will welcome the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Melbourne's defense has only allowed 13.2 points per game this season, so Quitman's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Melbourne is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 46 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Salem on Friday. They were beaten by the Greyhounds 34-7. The loss was the Bearkatz's first of the season.

Meanwhile, Quitman got the win against Yellville-Summit on Friday by a conclusive 27-6. Fans of the Bulldogs have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.

Having lost for the first time this season, Melbourne fell to 3-1. As for Quitman, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.

Melbourne beat Quitman 43-33 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Bulldogs' Jordon Moore-Payne, who threw for 279 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 56 yards and one touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Bearkatz still be able to contain Moore-Payne? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.