Two dominant backs in Demetrius Dowdy and Daylan Maxwell are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs and the Jackson County Panthers will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Winder-Barrow barely beat Loganville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bulldoggs blew past the Red Devils 49-8 last Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Bulldoggs in their matchups with the Red Devils: they've now won three in a row.
Winder-Barrow's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Marquon Gresham, who rushed for 35 yards and a pair of TDs. Giovanni Tuggle got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Winder-Barrow's run defense was locked in: Loganville could only muster 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Xavier McCoy for the heroic effort on defense: he. Winder-Barrow didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 9.7.
Meanwhile, Jackson County got themselves on the board against Apalachee last Friday, but Apalachee never followed suit. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Wildcats 67-0. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 57th, while the Wildcats are ranked 331st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jackson County found their leader in sophomore Maxwell, who rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry.
The win got Winder-Barrow back to even at 4-4. As for Jackson County, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Winder-Barrow has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 246.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Jackson County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 231 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Winder-Barrow ended up a good deal behind Jackson County when the teams last played back in October of 2024, losing 27-10. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Maxwell, who rushed for 163 yards. Now that the Bulldoggs know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
