The Mannford Pirates will head out on the road to face off against the McLoud Redskins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Friday, Mannford took a blow against Sequoyah, falling 61-22. The Pirates were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 27-6.
Despite the loss, Mannford saw an underclassman step up: Luke Naylor rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Naylor got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 54 yards.
Mannford's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Braedyn Culver, Ayden Passmore, and Passmore picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, while it was McLoud who put the first points on the board on Friday, it was Tecumseh who put up more. McLoud was just a hair shy of victory and fell 35-34 to Tecumseh. The defeat continues a trend for the Redskins in their matchups with the Savages: they've now lost six in a row.
McLoud might have lost, but man, Shaun Hill was a machine: he rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Zaylun Matlock, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Mannford dropped their record down to 1-2 with the loss, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for McLoud, they now also have a losing record at 1-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Mannford has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 194.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like McLoud struggles in that department as they've been averaging 201. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mannford might still be hurting after the 20-0 defeat they got from McLoud when the teams last played back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Matlock, who picked up 57 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 28 yards and a touchdown. Now that Mannford knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
