Football Preview: King City Wildkats vs. Pattonsburg Panthers
King City has gone 4-0 against Pattonsburg recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The King City Wildkats will look to defend their home field against the Pattonsburg Panthers at 7:00 p.m. King City is out to stop a six-game streak of losses at home dating back to last season.
King City is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 64-62 win over Princeton on Friday.
King City's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Graham Medsker, who rushed for 236 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry, and Landon Carlson, who rushed for 183 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.8 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Medsker is now averaging an impressive 129.5 rushing yards per game.
King City's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Cooper Mooney and Carter Heinrich. Mooney is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last ten games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, King City was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 420 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 158 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Pattonsburg had to endure a four-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They really took it to Stanberry for the full four quarters, racking up a 58-22 victory at home. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Panthers had established a 32 point advantage.
Camden Griffith was his usual excellent self, throwing for 235 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 74 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble, and forcing a fumble. Landon Preston was another key player, gaining 109 total yards and three touchdowns.
Pattonsburg's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB eight times. The heavy lifting was done by Bryson Clark and Collin Mason, who racked up four sacks between them. Mason also set a new season high mark in total tackles with four. Another thorn in Stanberry's side was Jace Estrada, who picked up a sack and made 12 total tackles.
The win got King City back to even at 2-2. As for Pattonsburg, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. King City has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 279 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Pattonsburg has preferred to attack from the air: they average 305.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
King City didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Pattonsburg in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, but they still walked away with a 74-68 win. Does King City have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pattonsburg turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
