Football Preview: Wetumpka Indians vs. Park Crossing Thunderbirds
The Wetumpka Indians have the luxury of staying home for another week and will welcome the Park Crossing Thunderbirds at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wetumpka will be strutting in after a victory while Park Crossing will be coming in after a defeat.
Wetumpka will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Percy Julian, who they had gone 0-4 against in their four prior meetings. Wetumpka skirted past Percy Julian 24-21. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Indians have posted since September 29, 2023.
Wetumpka's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Martez Wright led the charge by picking up 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Another passer making a difference was Tyler Johnson, who threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Wetumpka's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Ethan Bailey and Elijah Peake, who racked up five sacks between them. Peake is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Percy Julian's side was Kelby Walker, who picked up a sack, forced a fumble, and made 19 total tackles (4.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, Park Crossing was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their tenth straight loss dating back to last season. They and Rehobeth were almost perfectly matched up, but Park Crossing suffered a 33-32 defeat. One positive for the Thunderbirds, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Wetumpka's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-3. As for Park Crossing, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.
Everything went Wetumpka's way against Park Crossing in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as Wetumpka made off with a 37-14 win. Does Wetumpka have another victory up their sleeve, or will Park Crossing turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
