Football Game Preview: Jonesboro Cardinals vs. Southwest DeKalb Panthers + How To Watch

After each having a week off, the Jonesboro Cardinals and the Southwest DeKalb Panthers will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Jonesboro faced off against Starr's Mill two weeks ago. The Cardinals really took it to the Panthers for the full four quarters, racking up a 34-7 victory. With the Cardinals ahead 20-0 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Ethan Sharpe

Passer Rating

10/24/25 @ Northside	166.7
09/05/25 vs Banneker	149.3
10/10/25 @ Mundy's Mill	131.6
10/30/25 @ Starr's Mill	122.3
08/15/25 vs Mt. Zion	110.4
+ 5 more games

Jonesboro's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ethan Sharpe led the charge by throwing for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also punching in one TD on the ground. Sharpe's passing game has become a key predictor of the Cardinals' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-4 otherwise. Lucious Murray helped Sharpe out on the ground, rushing for 84 yards and one score on only nine carries.

Jonesboro was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 315 rushing yards. They are 4-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Meanwhile, Southwest DeKalb's game last Friday was all tied up 7-7 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They were the clear victors by a 27-7 margin over Druid Hills. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on four straight.

Jonesboro's record now sits at 6-4. As for Southwest DeKalb, their record is now 8-2.