Football Game Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Northwest Grizzlies + Official Tickets

The Derby Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Northwest Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Derby is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Junction City 28-7. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Bluejays recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, Northwest's matchup on Friday was close up to the half, but then they kicked things up a notch. They put the hurt on Washburn Rural with a sharp 52-28 win. Given the Grizzlies' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Blues are ranked 44th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Derby better keep an eye on Augie Fast. He was instrumental in Northwest's win, rushing for 294 yards and five scores while picking up 11.8 yards per carry. Fast showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 56 yards. Jaylen Mason was another key player, throwing for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Northwest was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 406 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.

Derby's record is now 7-3. As for Northwest, their record now sits at 9-1.

Derby was able to grind out a solid victory over Northwest in their previous meeting back in November of 2017, winning 53-41. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Grizzlies' Breece Hall, who rushed for 175 yards and four TDs, and also caught one score. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Panthers to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.