Football Game Preview: Mathis Pirates vs. Palacios Sharks

Mathis is on a four-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Palacios a five-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Friday. The Mathis Pirates will host the Palacios Sharks at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with five losses in a row, Mathis turned things around against West Oso on Friday. They snuck past the Bears with a 20-14 victory.

Meanwhile, Palacios played in-conference for the first time on Friday and got just the result they were looking for. They walked away with a 28-20 win over Aransas Pass. The victory continues a trend for the Sharks in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won six in a row.

A big part of Palacios' win came down to the chemistry between Alex Weaver and his top target Trey Weixelman. Weaver rushed for 150 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 8.8 yards per carry while Weixelman gained 97 total yards and two touchdowns. Weaver also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Palacios is 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-4 otherwise.

Palacios was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 324 rushing yards. They are 2-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Palacios' victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Mathis, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-5.

Mathis couldn't quite finish off Palacios in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 and fell 43-40. Thankfully for the Pirates, Ty Trcka (who threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 91 yards on only 11 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.