vs
| 11/01/24 - Away | 19-38 L |
| 10/26/23 - Home | 12-55 L |
| 09/16/22 - Away | 8-42 L |
| 09/17/21 - Home | 20-34 L |
| 09/04/20 - Away | 41-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Copper Basin and Sale Creek are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Cougars will face off against the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Copper Basin has given up an average of 42.1 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Copper Basin is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 44 points last Friday, they were much more limited against South Pittsburg on Thursday. They were outmatched by the Pirates and fell 86-7. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 322nd, while the Pirates are ranked 57th).
Sale Creek never got on the board in their matchup last Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Lookout Valley on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Yellowjackets 43-14. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 37-6.
Copper Basin better keep an eye on Hunter Fowler. He was instrumental in Sale Creek's win, rushing for 123 yards and four touchdowns on only six carries, while also catching one score. Those four rushing touchdowns gave Fowler a new career-high.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Sale Creek proved: they limited Lookout Valley to a paltry 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank William Bazemore for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sale Creek didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.5.
Sale Creek's defense didn't let Brandon Moore Jr, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Bazemore, Bryce Thomas, and Hudson Ewald, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Lookout Valley's side was Bazemore, who picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Sale Creek's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.0 points on average over those games. As for Copper Basin, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Things could have been worse for Copper Basin, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 38-19 loss to Sale Creek when the teams last played back in November of 2024. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
